Hunter
by safariwriter
Summary: Complete! working title A new girl has come to Ipswich, I know cliche... anyways, she has a past and is hiding something from the boys. Will they be able to figure it out in time or will everyone end up getting hurt? ReidOC
1. New Girl

A/N- The story is almost done in handwriting so I've decided to start copying it onto my computer and posting it. Right now it does not look to be all that long, but I think I might be adding a chapter here or there. Reviews are always liked! Flamers, not so much... I hope you guys like it! R&R

Disclaimer- Usual disclaimer applies. The covenant does not belong to me…. Dena is my character though.

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Dena Winters walked into the front office of Spencer Academy. The secretary told her to sit on one of the three chairs the lined the far wall and wait for her to finish printing out Dena's schedule. As Dena was waiting a girl with blonde hair walked into the office and exchanged a few words with the woman behind the desk. "Ms. Winters, please come over here." The older woman said. "Ms. Winters, this is Sarah Wenham, she will be showing you around today." The secretary slid Dena a simple white piece of paper that only used the top third of the sheet. 

"Thank you." Dena said as she took the paper.

"So what's your first class?" Sarah asked as the two girls left the office.

"Um… Literature." Dena said as she looked at her schedule.

"Alright, well class starts in 15 minutes so I guess you can come meet my friends. We all have literature first period so you get to meet them all right now." Sarah said with a smile.

"You make it sound like I should be worried. Do I want to meet your friends?" Dena joked.

"Depends on if they decide to like you or not, but don't worry, they should like you." Sarah replied.

"O, by the way, what's your first name? I don't think you want me introducing you as Ms. Winters to everyone."

"It's Dena and yes, being introduced like that would be embarrassing. It would make me sound like some older woman trying to reconnect with her younger self. Like Drew Barrymore's character in Never Been Kissed." Dena laughed.

"Hm, yes that would be bad. So where are you from?" Sarah asked as she navigated the old stone halls of the academy.

"I'm originally from Texas, but I've moved around a lot lately."

"Military family?"

"Something like that." Dena muttered.

"I just transferred here at the beginning of the school year so I'm relatively new. I've been here long enough to know where everything is and get used to everything that goes on in this town." Sarah said.

"Strange things happen?" Dena asked. She raised an eye brow and looked at Sarah.

"No, just the everyday goings are different from Boston, which is where I transferred from." Sarah explained.

"Well here's the literature class. My roommate Kate, her boyfriend Pogue, my boyfriend Caleb, and our two other friends Rei and Tyler are in this class. The first three should already be here." Sarah explained before she opened the door and led Dena into the lecture hall. There were a few people in the room having quiet conversations. Sarah led Dena to a row where two guys and a girl were talking.

"Hey babe." One of the guys said. That was obviously Caleb by the way he greeted Sarah. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead.

"Hey." Sarah replied. Dena took the time to quickly look the members of the group over. Caleb had dark brown hair and eyes. For the moment his tie on his uniform was hanging loose around his neck. The other guy, Pogue, didn't have his tie on at the moment, but Dena guessed that it was close by. When she had arrived at the dorms of Spencer one of the teachers had told her the rules and one was that the students had to have on the complete uniform on at all times during school hours. Pogue has long, golden blonde hair that fell to just below his chin. His arm was draped loosely around an girl with long black hair.

"Hi, I'm Kate by the way. It seems Sarah's not being a good host and introducing you to everyone. This is Pogue and that's Caleb." Kate said.

"Dena Winters." Dena replied with a smile."

"So why is Sarah showing you around? Don't you have a roommate to do that?" Caleb asked.

"Not right now. I get to keep my privacy until they find someone to fill in as my roommate." Dena explained.

"Where did you transfer from?" Pogue asked.

"This last transfer would be from Southern California, but I was born and lived in Texas for a few years."

"Go from the sun to the rain." Caleb commented.

"Seems like it right now." Dena responded with a smirk.

Two more guys walked over to the group and said hello to everyone, stopping at Dena's unfamiliar face though. "Reid, Tyler, this is Dena. Sarah's showing her around right now. Dena, this is Reid Garwin and Tyler Simms." Caleb said.

"Nice to meet you." Dena smiled. Both guys returned the greeting before the conversation turned to the latest news on some party that was happening that night.

"There's another party at the clearing tonight." Reid said with a mischievous smile.

"It's only been three months since the last one. And that kid died at that one. I'm surprised they'd have another one this year." Pogue said.

"Ya well they are. Are you guys going to come or what?" Reid said.

"Ya, we'll be there." Caleb said as he slung his arm around Sarah.

"We'll come too." Pogue said.

"What about you Dena?" Kate asked. "Ready for your first Spencer party or are you going to finish unpacking?"

"I'll come. I finished unpacking yesterday and have nothing else to do here tonight." Dena said. "Can I get a ride with anyone?"

"You can come with us. What room are you in?" Sarah asked.

"223"

"Alright, Kate and I will be there at 8." Sarah smiled.

"This is going to sound weird, but are you guys swimmers?" Dena asked.

"They are. Sarah and I aren't in any sports." Kate answered.

"How could you tell?" Tyler asked.

"I swam for my high school in California and most of my friends are swimmers. My best friend is also a surfer. It's kind of easy to tell if someone is a swimmer if you are one."

"Are you going to try out for the team here?" Reid asked.

"Um, I'm not sure right now. I really just want to get used to everything." Dena answered.

"You should join! We usually go to their practice and do homework in the stands or we go to the library if we don't want to die from all of the chlorine. There's nothing else to really do here in the afternoon anyways." Sarah said.

"Maybe I will." Dena said with a shrug.

The professor came rushing into the room and immediately started talking before he had finish taking everything out of his tattered old briefcase. Pogue and Caleb left to go sit a few rows above where they had been talking and Reid and Tyler left for their own seats. As Dena sat down next to Sarah she noticed that Pogue's tie was on and Caleb's and been tightened around his neck. Dena didn't remember seeing either of the two adjust or put on their tie, but just shrugged off the incident and started listening to the teacher.

The professor was talking about Hamlet so Dena settled down into her seat and tried to pay attention. The only problem was the she had already studied the book at her old school. As the professor's monotone voice went on about the play Dena slowly started to doodle on her note paper. She had her head on her arms and was deciding whether or not to take a nap when the professor's voice startled her. "Ms. Winter's are we boring you?"

"Sorry sir. I've already read, analyzed, and even did my final project on this mind spinning play that ends with all, but two characters dying. My last school finished Hamlet as well as read, analyzed, and compared King Lear and Othello before winter break and first semester finals." Dena said confidently.

"Well then, if you've already broken this book apart, I expect you to get an A on this final."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Dena smiled at the professor as he turned back to the chalk board and resumed his lecture. She let out a small huff before she started doodling again.


	2. Party

**A/N**- Thank you everyone who reviewed and read my first chapter. I hope you guys like this one as well!

Usual disclaimer applies for this chapter as well as the rest of this story…

**summerlover1**- Sorry I forgot to put this in the summary. This is a ReidOC so it will end up being Reid and Dena. Thanks for catching that!

**BlackCaleb**- Dena is going to try out for the swim team, don't worry about that. I am a swimmer so I want to put it in. Thanks for catching that spelling error. I have yet to go fix it, but I've been running around lately so I haven't had the time. I will as soon as I can though. My computer didn't catch it because I'm writing another fanfic were one of the character's names is Rei so I've told the computer that it's ok.

**MagykGurl**- Glad you liked it! This was an unusually fast post for me so don't get used to the postings being this fast for the most part.

**melodie568**- Thanks for the review! I've never gotten pms in a review so this might sound stupid, but what does it mean?

* * *

"That answer you gave the professor was great!" Reid exclaimed as he walked out of the English class with everyone else.

"Thanks I guess." Dena said nonchalantly with a shrug.

"Hey Dena, if you want to try out for the swim team, Coach is holding try outs tomorrow and Wednesday." Caleb said.

"Alright thanks. I might show up. Depends on if I remember or not." Dena smiled.

The group quickly split apart, everyone headed off into different hallways for their different classes. Sarah took Dena to her next class before leaving for her own class. The rest of the day went on smooth enough without any major problems. Pogue and Reid were in Dena's statistic class while Caleb was in her government glass. Sarah and Kate were both in Dena's writing class and Tyler was in her last class, biology. She walked out to the parking lot with him to meet the others. Dena walked back to the dorms by herself because the others were going into town or were heading home if they lived off campus. Kate and Sarah asked if she wanted to come, but Dena said she didn't need anything. When she got to her dorm room she got out her lap top and started looking for a picture to draw. She found a picture of a goddess and printed it out. She started sketching the drawing before the paper had even cooled down. A few hours later a knocking at the door brought her back to reality. "Who is it?" Dena called over her shoulder.

"Reid, now can I come in?"

Dena sighed and got up to go open the door. "What are you doing here?" Dena leaned against the door as she pulled her hair out of the messy bun she had put it up in while she had been drawing.

"I was coming back in and decided to stop by and make sure you're all settled in." Rei said with a sloppy grin.

"I'm doing fine. What time is it?"

"What? Do you not have a clock?" Reid asked with a little laugh.

"I got carried away a little bit. The time please?"

"It's seven. Please tell me you did not get carried away studying."

"Hell no. I barely study as it is. I was drawing the outline for a painting. Now if you'll excuse me I need to get ready." Dena said.

"So you are coming to the dells tonight?"

"If that's where the party is, then yes."

"Well then, see you there." Reid left after giving one last smirk. Dena rolled her eyes at him and closed the door.

A few minutes before eight, Sarah and Kate were at Dena's door. Dena opened the door and smiled at the two girls. She signaled them to come in because she had her hair clip in her mouth. She quickly twisted her hair up and clasped the clip to it. The clip was black with silver streaks running through it. Dena had on a black miniskirt with a silver halter top that stopped above her belly button.

"You ready yet, girl?" Kate asked.

"Ya I just need to grab my phone." Dena replied.

"I like your painting." Sarah said looking at the unfinished painting. Dena shot over to the set up and threw a flannel blanket over it.

"Sorry, I don't like showing them till they are done." Dena said.

"It's ok. Ready to go?" Sarah asked. Dena nodded and followed the two girls out to the parking lot where Sarah had her car. They got into the little car and rushed on the old road and into the forest. Sarah parked the car and the three girls crawled out. When they arrived the party was already in full force.

"Let's get some drinks!" Kate yelled over the music. Sarah and Dena nodded and they snaked their way through the crowd to the drink table. Kate got a red cup of beer while Sarah filled her cup with water. Dena just got a soda and snapped the tab on it. The drink fizzled for a bit before it settled down and Dena took a sip. The girls talked for a bit and finished their drinks before deciding to join the mob dancing in the middle of the party. Caleb and Pogue soon arrived and started dancing with their girlfriends. Dena used the 'I need something else to drink' excuse to leave the couple alone.

"Sprite?" Someone asked from behind her as she reached the table that held all of the drinks. When she turned around one of the guys from her literature and biology class.

"Um, ya thanks." Dena said taking the sprite from him. "I'm sorry, but what's your name?"

"Aaron, Aaron Abbott. You're new here right?"

"Ya, I just transferred. I'm Dena Winters."

"Well it's nice to meet you. I'll see you around alright?"

"Um, ya sure. Later." Aaron smiled once more before leaving to go talk to talk to a bunch of people. Dena looked at her hand and brought it up to her lips to take a sip.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Reid's now familiar voice interrupted.

"And why not?" Dena asked, spinning around to see the blonde.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to drink from an open drinks at parties?"

"My parents died when I was younger."

"Well then, you're not supposed to accept or drink from open drinks at parties. We don't want a pretty girl like you falling prey to a guy like Aaron." Reid took the drink from Dena and placed it on the table. He dug around a red barrel that was filled with ice and sodas and pulled out a Sprite. He opened it and handed it to Dena.

"Aw, you think I'm pretty." Dena cooed. Reid rolled his eyes and looked back at Dena. "Anyway, thanks for the lesson. Wait, how did you know Aaron gave me the drink?"

"I saw you talking to him when I got here. Plus Aaron goes after all of the new girls so it was only a matter of time." Reid shrugged. She looked down at the new sprite in her hand.

"So I should find a new drink because I did just get this Sprite and I didn't open it." Dena smiled as she held the Sprite in Reid's face.

"But I opened it in front of you so you know I didn't put anything in there."

"So you approve?"

"Yes I approve." Reid smirked. The pair walked back to where the others were talking. When they got there Dena gave her sprite to Sarah and Kate to finish.

"Where's Tyler?" Reid asked.

"He saw some girl he wanted to go talk to." Pogue said.

"He finally got the balls to go talk to Amy? 'Bout god damn time." Reid muttered.

"Cops have just been spotted on the way over here. Everybody's gotta scram!" The warning blared over the loud speakers. Caleb and Pogue led the group into the forest with Kate and Sarah at their side. Reid and Dena followed being them and were soon joined by Tyler.

"You're car's working tonight right?" Caleb asked.

"Ya, we'll see you tomorrow." Sarah gave Caleb a quick kiss before everyone started to separate. Dena climbed into the car as Sarah got in and turned it on. Kate was talking to Pogue so she honked her horn and Kate came running over. "Took you long enough." Sarah joked.

"I'm surprised Caleb only got a simple kiss." Kate retorted. Sarah took off out of the forest. They were back at the dorm rooms in a few minutes. They silently crept back into the dorm buildings.


	3. Try Outs

**A/N-** Hello! Well here's the next chapter. This is going to be long compared to most chapters, but that's because I added the try outs for swimming. I hope you guys like ti!

**melodie568**- ok got what pms means… or that version of it. Glad you liked it!

**MagykGurl**- Thanks for the review! I'm happy you like it!

**steves-girl**- The chapters are comin' just as fast as I can type them. Enjoy!

**Larissa**- I'm glad you like it! I'm writing as fast as possible right now! Next chapter should be up in a few days!

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The day of try outs finally came. Dena was forced to remember because the guys as well as Kate and Sarah were constantly reminding her about them. Dena didn't really mind that the girl's team for Spencer wasn't all that great. Most of them spent most of the practice ogling at the guys in Speedos. Dena just rolled her eyes and focused on her try out. "Hello everyone, for the new people, I'm Coach Giles. I am the head coach for this team. Girls will be going first with the try outs followed by the guys. If you are already on the team then you just have to get in and swim. For those trying out I want to know what you want to swim before you try and impress me." The coach went down the list. Most of the girls were asking for the short 50's and 100's. Dena smiled at the answers. "Winters."

"I swim the 500 since there isn't anything longer." Dena called out.

"Nice to know we have a distance swimmer… Alright, girls suit up. I want you in the water in seven minutes ready to go. You'll have fifteen minutes to warm up." The coach then turned to talk to the guys. Dena had already changed into her Nike two piece workout suit so she just stripped down. She felt eyes on her so she grabbed her cap and goggle and turned to see Reid watching her as he talked to the others. He gave her an appreciative smile and Dena returned it. Dena dove into the water and started her warm up before any of the other girls had finished changing.

"Winters, you're done first so you get to be in the first heat." The coach said. He then called out a few more names and the girls all lined up behind the blocks. "Alright, I want to see a 200 IM. After the other heats go we'll start doing 50's for each of the strokes. Take your mark…" The coach blew on his whistle for the start and the 8 girls of the first heat took off.

Dena used her under waters off all of her walls to her advantage. Butterfly had always been on of her favorites so that wasn't a problem. On backstroke she made it to half pool before popping up and starting the actual stroke. Parts of the field started to catch her on the breaststroke, but then on the freestyle she took back her lead. When she finished she heard people cheering her name and looked up in the stands to see Sarah and Kate clapping and cheering. Dena had about ten minutes between all of her races which she spent just swimming laps, hoping to get a decent amount of yards in for the day. The coach approached her after she had changed back into her school uniform and congratulated her on making the varsity team. Dena smiled and thanked him. Giles was just happy to have someone swim the 500 and not complain about it. When Dena walked out of the locker room she as greeted by Reid who was leaning casually on the wall next to the door.

"Would you like me to go get one of the members of your fan club?" Dena asked with a joking smile.

"I have a fan club? Hm, why don't you bring them all back out." Reid said. Dena just laughed and shook her head. She started walking back to her dorm and Reid fell into step next to her. "Everyone's going to Nicky's for dinner. You want to come?"

"Um sure, but I can't stay all that long. I have to get up early tomorrow morning." Dena said. She dug through her backpack to find her dorm keys. When she looked up she saw Reid looking at her like she had grown another head. "I run in the mornings. It's a habit I got into a couple years ago."

"Alright then, we'll get you home so you can get some sleep, early bird." Reid joked. "Now hurry up and change so we can go." Dena smiled and walked into her small personal bathroom with the clothes she was going to wear to Nicky's. Reid lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. He reopened his eyes when he heard the door creek open. Dena was standing in the open doorway with a pair of dark blue, almost black jeans and a light blue halter top. She quickly twisted her hair into a bun and grabbed a white, zip up hoodie. "Finally! Let's go. I have the keys to Tyler's hummer. He went with Caleb and Sarah."

"Aw, poor Tyler. Don't you have your own car or do you just mooch rides off of Tyler all the time?"

"I have my own car, but I need to cut the muffler on it right now so I'd rather wait a bit to drive it. Are you ready or what?" Reid asked. Dena grabbed a purse and walked over to the already open door, being held open by Reid. The pair quickly walked out of the Spencer Academy dorms and out to the parking lot.

When they arrived at Nicky's everyone was sitting at a table drinking some cokes. Reid left to get Dena and himself a drink so Dena sat down and joined in on the conversation about their literature professor. When Reid walked back he slid Dena a Sprite and told the others to pay up. Apparently he had also ordered everyone's meals and wasn't even going to think about letting it slide. "So Dena, are you happy you made the team?" Sarah asked.

"Ya, I probably would have missed swimming in a matter of days if I hadn't. It's too much a part of my life for me to not miss it if I ever stopped." Dena said with a smile.

"How long have you been swimming?" Pogue asked.

"Since I was 9. I got into surfing too back in California, but I think that it might be kind of hard to find some good surfing here." Dena joked. The rest of the table laughed and nodded their agreement. Everyone spent the rest of the night talking about various topics. Reid would always complain when someone brought up school, but would be more than happy to state his opinion about the teacher.

Over the next couple of days Dena kept getting closer to the Sons of Ipswich, Kate, and Sarah; she was getting the closest to Reid though. She liked his bad boy, wreck less attitude. Tyler had finally started going out with Amy and she had started to hang out with the group every once in a while. Before class everyday Dena would go out for a run. If it was raining or snowing Dena would just grab an extra jacket, but she would always run. She liked the calm and quiet that the forest around her had to offer. As she came into the dorms she played attention she stumbled into someone, dropping her ipod in the process. "Sorry." She muttered as she leaned down to pick her up.

"You went running?" The person asked. Dena looked up to see Tyler standing above her. He held out his hand towards her and helped her stand back up.

"Ya, I've been going out every morning."

"Security hasn't found out yet?" Tyler asking laughing.

"I'm good at sneaking in and out. Let's just say it's a natural talent. The guards are also probably asleep." Dena said with a smile.

"Reid and I are pretty good at sneaking out too. Though Reid's the best at disappearing." Tyler said annoyed.

"Are you looking for him now or trying to work on your great talents?"

"We just got back from Caleb's actually." Reid said walking up t the two. Dena jumped at the sound of his voice. She turned around and glared at him for scaring her, but Reid just smirked and stood next to Tyler. He slung his arm around Tyler's neck and openly admired Dena's running outfit.

"Well thanks for scaring me." Dena said sarcastically.

"Anytime." Reid replied. Dena rolled her eyes, but couldn't help from smiling.

"I'll leave you two to walking back to your room. I've got to go take a shower."

"We'll join you… or at least I will." Reid said.

"Alone!" Dena hollered over her shoulder. She knew Reid was smirking, he always was. Dena quickly gathered her clothes and a towel once she got into her room before heading towards the showers. She quickly took a shower and changed. Dena couldn't stand the showers; she thought they were the creepiest place on the entire campus. As she silently walked down the hall the hairs on her neck started to rise and every noise, mainly the ones sounding like footsteps, spooked her. She looked behind her, but saw only shadows on the walls. "Reid?" Her answer was silence. "Tyler? This isn't funny guys." Dena called into the darkness, but no one answered her again so she tried to walk back to her dorm as calmly as she could.

A few hours later Dena had her music playing as she finished some of her homework. She knew if she didn't get it done Saturday then it would never get done. She had finished her biology pre-lab and a narrative essay for her writing class by 10 and she desperately needed a break. She got up from her bed and trudged her way to her desk. She flipped open her laptop. She signed into her AIM and left to re-brush her hair and put it back up. She rolled her head on her shoulders trying to work out the knots in her neck as she walked back to her computer. When she got there she already had a message.

**TheTeacher**: How's Ipswich?

**Hunter530**: Rainy. I've still been running every morning though

**TheTeacher**: You always did like the rain

**TheTeacher**: Have you found them yet??

**Hunter530**: No

**Hunter530**: But…

**Hunter530**:… I have met some of the more popular people here… I might figure it out from hanging out with them

**Hunter530**: Hopefully…

**TheTeacher**: You'll be needing a lot of hope… he wants them gone as soon as possible

**Hunter530**: I know…

**TheTeacher**: Keep me updated

**Hunter530**: Of course

**TheTeacher**: Caroline wants the computer. Keep traning and call me if you need anything

**Hunter530**: Alright

**TheTeacher**: Ttyl

**Hunter530**: Ttyl

**Hunter530**: later

**TheTeacher**: bye

**TheTeacher has signed off**

After the conversation, Dena started writing e-mails to some of her friends of previous schools. After making herself a sandwich Dena finished the rest of her homework. She contemplated working on her painting, but before she could make a decision a knock interrupted her. "Who is it?"

"It's Sarah and Kate." Sarah's voice called. Dena got up and opened the door so the two girls could come in. "Are you to sit in here all day?"

"I went running this morning."

"That was what? 14 hours ago? Let's go have some fun. We're going to Nicky's with the guys. You want to come or are you going to keep hiding in here?" Kate asked. Dena rolled her eyes, but smiled and nodded.

"Fine, I just need to change." Dena walked over to her closet and grabbed a pair of jeans with cuts around the knees and a red camisole with lace on the top and bottom. She quickly changed and brushed her hair out so it fell to the middle of her back.

"Come on the guys are waiting… wait, you'll need to ride with Reid and Tyler." Kate said. "Pogue and I are going with Caleb and Sarah so there's not a lot of room left in his car."

"I think I can handle that. I already have a couple times." Dena smiled. The girls walked outside to find the four guys talking at Caleb's mustang.

"Ready?" Caleb asked with a smile.

"Yup." Sarah answered. She got into the mustang after letting Kate into the back seat.

"You guys be good alright." Caleb said in a serious tone.

"Don't worry Caleb. We aren't going to do anything…" Reid said as he draped his arms around Tyler and Dena. Caleb gave him one last look before getting in his car. "He's so uptight. That kid really needs to learn how to loosen up." Reid muttered as he got into the hummer.

"Come on, they'll expect us to be following them. If we don't pull in five seconds after Caleb, we'll be suspected of doing something, anything." Tyler said. Dena got in behind Reid. Tyler turned on the hummer and followed Caleb into town.

"Were you guys still hanging out in the hall after I took a shower?" Dena asked.

"Just for about a minute." Tyler said. "Why?"

"Nothing, it was probably just me being paranoid or something."

"Thought someone was stalking you?" Reid asked in a not so serious tone.

"I just heard footsteps, or that I did. I couldn't see anyone though. It might have just been someone else down another corridor or something. Don't worry about it." Dena turned to look out of the window. As she watched the trees go by she missed Tyler and Reid glance at each other as they both thought the same thing.


	4. Nicky's

**A/N- **Hey guys! Well here's the next chapter. Parts of it are going to sound like the movie, but I'm changing them up a bit. So I hope you guys like it! Enjoy!

**maddie miquel**- Thanks, I'm glad you liked it.

**Brokenwriter**- I'm going with it! All mysteries will eventually be explained… just not now. It's going to take a couple chapters. If you're wondering about Reid and Tyler they're thinking about what happened with Sarah at the beginning of the movie, where Chase was stalking her…

**Niffer01**- Everything will be answered… Just keep reading and you'll find out at some point.

**gshkristi7272**- Don't worry, Dena and Reid will be getting closer. It is a ReidOC. This chapter will start showing that relationship. As for some of the questions you'll have to wait. About what Reid and Tyler were thinking at the end of the chapter read the comment to Brokenwriter.

**HannahBabies**- I'm glad you like it! This chapter is about the average size of the chapters so they are about medium length in my opinion.

**summerlover1**- Glad you like it!

**Vannah93**- Don't worry I don't plan on stopping any time soon!

* * *

The crowded pool hall and sports bar, known as Nicky's, was definitely having a good night. All the pool tables were taken, yet Reid and Tyler found no problem in getting into a game. They were playing with the guys from the party at the dells… Aaron and his crew. Dena quickly found Sarah and Kate sitting at a table next to the fooz ball tables.

"Hey guys." Dena said as she sat down with Sarah and Kate.

"Hey, how was the ride over?" Kate asked.

"It was fine. We talked a little bit, but that's it. You forget, I've already had them drive me before." Dena said. "Is it always like this? The guys having fun and us just sitting here?"

"Pretty much. A couple times we've gotten them to dance. Reid and Tyler usually get into a fight with Aaron and his groupies." Sarah explained.

"Well I'm going to go interrupt Reid and Tyler's game of pool." Dena said. She got up and quickly walked through the crowd, threading her way through all of the people who were oblivious to Dena's presence. She stopped next to Tyler who gave her a smile as he watched Reid make a shot. Reid sunk an orange ball on his first shot, but missed his second shot. He backed up, still not knowing that Dena was standing next to Tyler. "Nice try." Dena said, spooking Reid.

"When did you come over here? Why aren't you talking with Sarah and Kate?" Reid asked.

"I don't count talking as having a lot of fun. I'd rather being playing." Dena inclined her head towards the pool table where Aaron was making a shot.

"You play?" Tyler asked.

"Sort of, not much. I just know the over view of the game." Dena explained. "It still beats girl chats most of the time though."

"Hey Reid stop messing with your girlfriend and play the game!" Aaron snapped.

"She's not my girlfriend." Reid said. He turned his attention to the table and got ready to make his shot. Aaron just smiled before walking over to Dena and Tyler.

"So if you aren't going out with Blondie, how's Friday night for you? Say around…" Aaron asked.

"Never? It's not going to happen Aaron." Dena said.

Why? You holding out for someone in particular? I can assure you we would be having a lot of fun. More fun than you would ever have with Reid." Aaron said with a smile.

"Sorry, but I don't count rape as fun." Dena snapped.

"Aaron, your move." Reid said, shoving his way in between Dena and Aaron.

"Think about it." Aaron said before turning to the pool table.

"I assure you… I won't." Dena muttered. She crossed her arms across her chest and leaned back on a table behind her. Reid just smirked after Dena's comment. "What?"

"I didn't say anything." Reid laughed.

"No, but you do have that smirk on your face and you're laughing. What is it Reid?"

"I was just happy to see Aaron humiliated by a girl. That's all." Reid said. He kept his eyes trained on the pool table and seemed to be concentrating on the game. Dena watched as the game as the queue ball hit a striped blue ball before tapping the 8 ball. Even though it wasn't that hard of a hit the 8 ball moved to the closest pocket and fell in. "Sorry Aaron, but that's another 50 you owe me."

"You did something to the ball!" Aaron yelled. He threw his pool stick on the table and met Reid halfway.

"How could I do something to the ball? I was standing with Dena by the tables! If you didn't notice that's behind arm's length." Reid yelled back.

"I'm not giving you shit." Aaron spat. He pushed Reid back, which made his fall onto Dena. They immediately caught Nicky's attention so they headed outside before they were yelled at.

"Go get Caleb." Tyler said as he helped Dena up before following the others.

"But…" Dena tried to protest.

"Please Dena, just go get Caleb and Pogue!" Tyler yelled over his shoulder. Dena gave a little huff before turning to find Caleb and Pogue.

It seemed that Sarah and Kate had followed Dena's example. Pogue and Caleb were helping them learn to play fooz ball. Dena couldn't help but smile at the two couples. "Sorry to break this up, but Reid and Aaron just got into their traditional fight. They just left for the alley and I think that guy from behind the bar is going to go after them soon."

Caleb and Pogue instantly stood a little straighter and looked over to see Nicky getting ready to leave the bar. "Shit, meet us outside by the cars." Caleb said. Everyone grabbed their jackets. Kate and Sarah got kisses from the beaus before they separated.

From the cars the girls could hear yelling. There was Reid and Aaron, Aaron's friend, Nicky, then Caleb and then silence. The girls thought it was over when the door came crashing open and Reid came storming out. Caleb was following him with Tyler and Pogue coming out last. "You need to stop getting in these fights! Nicky's going to ban you soon."

Reid just ignored Caleb and threw the door to Tyler's hummer open and climbed in. The girls just looked at each other with worried eyes. "Who do you want to go with? We could squeeze you into the back of the mustang." Pogue offered to Dena.

"I'll go with Reid and Tyler. I'm pretty sure I'll survive the ride back to the dorms." Dena said. She said goodnight to everyone before climbing into the backseat of the hummer. Reid was still glowering in his seat and Tyler was getting ready to go. Tyler quickly backed out of the parking spot before accelerating out of the parking lot. The ride home was completely silent. Dena traveled between reality and dreams as the hummer's motor hummed on down the road. She was jolted awake when Tyler slid into the parking lot. He flew over the speed bumps, tumbling Dena and Reid around. Dena had never been happier to see a car parked. She shakily opened the door and slid out. "Other than your driving through the parking lot and over the speed bumps I think I survived the ride home pretty well." Dena joked. "Night guys!" Dena waved as she walked over to the dorms. She didn't feel like waiting for the two guys because Reid was still being a grump and she could tell Tyler wanted to talk to him. As Dena walked farther away she heard Tyler yell at Reid about changing his attitude about everything and if he doesn't it could kill him.

Dena finally reached her dorm and threw her cell phone and wallet down on her dresser. She collapsed onto her bed and closed her eyes. Before she could fall asleep someone knocked on her door. "Yes?" Dena yawned as she opened the door and saw Tyler standing there.

"Sorry if I woke you up." Tyler said quickly.

"I'm glad you did. Otherwise I'd be sleeping in the clothes I went out in." Dena said with a tired smile.

"Ok, well, I just wanted to say sorry about Reid and Caleb. They don't tend to get a long sometimes, mainly when Reid tries to get in a fight." Tyler explained.

"It was alright. I still had fun. A little excitement never hurt anyone."

"Ya, but it still gets annoying after it happens every night. I'll let you get back to sleep."

"Thanks, I'll see you tomorrow, night."

"Goodnight." Dena closed her door and walked over to her dresser. She rummaged around her dresser before pulling out an old white wife beater and some flannel shorts. She slid on her sandals and left for the bathroom with her toiletries. Upon her return a white note caught her eye. It was taped to her door and folded over. Dena grabbed the note before entering her room. She again fell onto her bed and opened the note.

_Friday_

_8:00_

_Reid_

Those three little words sent millions of questions buzzing in Dena's head. Now she wished she had Reid's or Tyler's or someone's phone number. Dena fell asleep that night trying to figure out what Reid had meant in his note.


	5. The Date

**A/N**- Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. Just to let you know I'm almost down with writing this story by hand. It looks like it's going to be about 15 or 16 chapters. Enjoy!

**Vannah93**- I'll try and read your story when I can. My classes are loading up on homework because AP tests are coming up. I can barely right my stories as it is… I'll read it though! Thanks for the review!

**Niffer01**- Aaron definitely had that coming…

**maddie miquel**- I'm glad you thought it was funny! I like adding humor in all of my stories.

**MagykGurl**- I'm happy you like it!

**gshkristi7272**- I'll def. keep it up. I'm glad you like it!

**soccergurl382**- It was the movie, but with my own twist. I think this chapter should answer all, at least most of the questions that note left you with.

* * *

During the week Dena fell into a pattern. She'd wake up early and run, take a shower, go to class, go to swim practice, hang out with everyone, then go to the bed. Day after day she held onto her routine, not minding the monotony of her days. When she saw Reid she tried to get more details about Friday, but he would just smile and change the subject. In all honesty, it was starting to annoy Dena. When Friday came Dena held to her schedule but started getting ready for this mysterious meeting with the blonde son of Ipswich. Dena dried her hair straight and added a few curls sporadically through her hair. Dena found a pair of dark wash jeans and a white tank top under a red knitted hoodie. She found some red sandals before digging through her jewelry box to find a gold necklace with a small whale tail pendant.

At 8 o'clock Reid was at Dena's door. Dena quickly answered his knock. Reid was leaning on the door frame giving Dena his trade mark smirk. "Ready?"

"Only if I get to find out where we're going or what we're doing." Dena replied.

"Alright, we'll be here for a while then." Reid walked past Dena into the room. He sat down on the bed and fell back onto the head board. Dena was silent for a bit before groaning and turning to Reid.

"Fine! Surprise me!" She exclaimed. Reid got up from the bed, took Dena's hand and led her down the hall. "Do you even have a car here? I've only seen you drive Tyler's hummer."

"Ya, I have an Impala, which we're taking tonight." Sure enough Reid led her into the back parking lot where a midnight black Impala was sitting in the far back corner. Dena's mouth fell open as her eyes roamed over the sleek black curves of the car. "I'm guessing you like it."

"I love older, classic cars. Old mustangs, not like Caleb's, and old Chevy's. One of my friends would always restore older cars. He had a Monte Carlo and a Bel Air, but sold them both." Dena said. She traced her hand over the hood to her door. She slid into the leather seats and looked over the inside. "It may look nice, but how does it run?"

Reid answered with a cocky grin and turned the key. The car immediately roared to like. The smile on Dena's face just got larger as she listened to the engine. Reid pulled out of the school parking lot and onto the main road. Dena shifted in the seat and let out a happy scream as Reid pushed the car past the 110 mph mark. As they started getting closer to the main town Reid slowed down and looked over at Dena. "So, does it run well?"

"Hell yes!" Dena smiled. "Now do I get to know where we're going?"

"I thought we would go play some pool since you didn't get to play last week."

"Hm… I think I can hand that."

Reid pulled into Nicky's and parked. Dena got out and met Reid behind the car. They walked in and found an empty table. Reid ordered some drinks as Dena racked up all the balls. She picked out a pool stick and then waited for Reid to come back. "Do you want to break?"

"Um… sure?" Dena said hesitantly.

"I thought you said you could play."

"I know the basics, but I'm still pretty bad. I haven't tried to play in a while anyways." Reid shook his head and walked over to Dena. He came up behind her and wrapped himself around her. He moved her hands so she was holding the queue and then showed her ho to move the stick correctly. The while time he was telling her what to do, his warm breath rolled over the hairs on her neck making her shiver. Her shiver reached her arms as she hit the ball. The white ball spun to the side and Dena looked over at Reid to see what looked like fire in his eyes. Reid smiled and nodded towards the table. The queue ball had hit the side of the table and broke up the other balls.

"Good job." Reid whispered in her ear, making Dena shiver again. He slowly pealed himself away from Dena so he could make his won shot.

Dena and Reid continued playing. Occasionally some impossible shot would be accomplished. Every time Dena would try and see if Reid's eyes were different Reid would either just smile or kiss her cheek. A couple hours later and a couple games later Dena was standing, watching Reid make a shot. Her eyes were slowly falling shit as her hips rocked back and forth to the song that was playing. "You tired?" Dena's eyes snapped open to see Reid standing in front of her.

"A bit." Dena yawned.

"That looks more than just a bit. I'll finish the game and we can go." Reid said. He quickly followed through with his statement and finished the game. He finished the last of his soda before leading Dena out to the car. The engine was slowly putting Dena to sleep as they made their way back to the dorms.

"I like your eyes. Sometimes they're normal and sometimes their black with red, fire like rims. Almost like a witch." Dena muttered. She snuggled into the seat and her hands found Reid's right hand.

When Reid parked in the back parking lot of Spencer's dorms he looked over at Dena and gently picked her up. He wasn't going to deny it when her comment actually unnerved him. Sure he had used in public before, but no one had ever seen his eyes… or at least he assumed no one had since they hadn't been confronted. He walked to the dorms and used his power to open the doors, including the one to Dena's dorm room. He gently put her down on her bed and covered her up. Reid used his powers to teleport himself to his own room. Tyler was, of course, already asleep so Reid quickly got ready and also fell asleep.

The next morning Dena woke up to find herself in her bed with the covers over her. She gingerly stretched out all her twisted muscles and got up from her bed. She groaned when she saw that she was in the same clothes as last night. This was quickly becoming a bad habit. She quickly threw her hair up and changed into flannel pants and a simple white tank top. She quickly left her room and to go find Reid and Tyler's room. She stopped though when she heard the two guys talking.

"I think she knows or at least has an idea." Reid said.

"What do you mean she knows? She knows about us? About the power?" Tyler asked. There was a slight pause before he continued. "Caleb's going to kill you if she does know. What even makes you think that she knows?"

"She fell asleep on the way back last night and said she liked my eyes and how they changed to black with red rims." Reid explained.

"Just act normal like nothing has happened. You're just going to have to be careful and stop using in public!"

"Thank you Caleb…" Silence fell over the oom and Dena heard the two occupants shuffling around. She took a quick breath as everything she heard finally sunk in. Pushing the new realizations away she finished walking to the door and knocked. Tyler answered the door and smiled at Dena.

"Hey! Reid's around here somewhere…"

"I'm right here Simms. Our room isn't all that big." Reid joked. Tyler shook his head and excused himself into the bathroom.

"I wanted to say sorry for falling asleep last night. I had woken up early again and everything just caught up to me last night."

"It's alright."

"I just feel bad about it though…"

"How about to make it up to me by going out with me again tomorrow night? We won't stay out late enough so you won't fall asleep."

"Ok, I'll try and get enough sleep then." Dena joked.

"See you tomorrow." Reid smiled.

"Till tomorrow." Dena whispered. Feeling bold she reached her arm up and around Reid's neck forcing his head lower. She leaned up and placed a quick kiss on his lips before letting him go and walking away.


	6. The First Rule

**A/N**- Hey guys! Well, I know this is a really short chapter, but it's really more like an interlude. You get more of a feeling for Dena and what she's doing, but that's about it. The story starts picking up again in the next chapters and pretty much all of the questions, or at least most of them, about TheTeacher will be answered then.

**MagykGurl**- Glad you liked it!

**Niffer01**- The second date and the rest of them aren't all that specific, but there will be some details about some dates.

**steves-girl**- I'm happy you liked it!

**Happy Face21**- Well you get another bit of information about TheTeacher and some more about what Dena's doing and feeling in this chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

When Dena got back to her dorm room she locked the door and leaned against it. "What am I doing?" she muttered to herself. "First rule, never get your heart caught in the middle! And look what I have done! Good going Dena, you got everything tied up in knots." Dena groaned and stalked over to her computer. She unplugged the laptop and brought it to her bed. She signed onto her AIM and scrolled through the list. TheTeacher was under the "offline" list, but another messaging window popped up.

SurferGurl101: Hey girl!

Hunter530: Hey Lucy

SurferGurl101: How's the east coast treating u?

Hunter530: It's fine

Hunter530: It rains…

Hunter530: …and rains

SurferGurl101: Missing the sun?

Hunter530: Hell ya

Hunter530: How's the surf?

SurferGurl101: It's ok… dying down a bit…

SurferGurl101: How are the guys?

Hunter530: I went out last night with one guy, Reid…

SurferGurl101: Nice! What does he look like? Are you going out again? Did you kiss?

Hunter530: Down girl!

Hunter530: To answer your questions, he's blonde, blue eyed, swimmer, tall, yes, tomorrow night, yes

SurferGurl101: You will give me details right?

Hunter530: Mayb

SurferGurl101: U better…

SurferGurl101: Bro's calling… g2g

SurferGurl101: Ttyl

Hunter530: ttyl

Hunter530: later

SurferGurl101: bye!

Dena smiled as she closed the window. Talking to Lucy always made Dena smile and laugh. Lucy was just a wild and crazy girl that only wanted to have fun. Dena got up and grabbed a bottle of water. When she came back a little pop-up window was just fading at the corner of her screen. TheTeacher had finally signed on.

Hunter530: I've been waiting to talk to you

TheTeacher: Hello to you too

Hunter530: I have a problem

TheTeacher???

Hunter530: I found out who the witches are

TheTeacher: And the problem would be??

Hunter530: I think I've started to fall for one

TheTeacher: Dena!

TheTeacher: You know better! What are you thinking?

Hunter530: I don't know!

TheTeacher: Well I hate to tell you this, but your client has decided to visit you

Hunter530: What!? When?

TheTeacher: Five weeks

Hunter530: shit

TheTeacher: He says not to do anything yet

TheTeacher: He has some personal vendetta against these guys so he wants to be there

Hunter530: So I have four weeks to try and separate myself from them?

TheTeacher: You don't physically separate yourself, just separate your heart

Hunter530: ok…

TheTeacher: You're losing your game… you always need to be ready for everything

Hunter530: I know…

Hunter530: I g2g

Hunter530: Later

Dena signed off and leaned back on her bed. She didn't want to keep talking because she was only getting more confused and it seemed everything that she was told was bad luck. She looked over at her unfinished painting. She replugged her computer in before losing herself in her painting.


	7. Spring Formal

**A/N**- Hello! So I have some good news and some bad news. Good news is that I have a beta now. My friend volunteered and is helping me. Bad news is that it might take me longer to post. She has chapter 8 right now and will be getting that to me sometime in the middle of next week.

**Niffer01**- Sorry, but I'm not answering any questions yet. The next chapter will answer everything though. That will be posted soon.

**MagykGurl**- I'm glad you liked it.

**Happy Face21**- Again, I am sorry, but I'm not answering any questions. You'll find out soon though.

**HopelessRomantic44**- I'm glad you like it, but you'll have to wait for the next chapter to figure out who the client is.

* * *

Sunday night Reid took Dena into town and to a movie and dinner. They got to know each other. Dena explained how her parents were killed when she was younger and the family who had adopted her were constantly moving around. Reid explained how he met the others at a summer camp and they had been like brother's ever since. In the car Reid officially asked Dena out, receiving another kiss as her answer. The rest of the week Dena spent mostly with Reid and the others. Reid had taken Dena out to the light house one night for a late dinner. They sat at the top and just watched the fog roll into the sleepy town. "Have you ever seen the movie _The Fog_?" Dena asked.

"Ya, where those sailors come out of the fog to get back some gold."

"This reminds me of it. Except the fog isn't moving that fast or glowing. It probably doesn't have a lot of dead people in it with the intention to kill everyone either," Dena laughed.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't let the ghosts get you," Reid said. He wrapped his arms around Dena's waist and pulled her onto his lap.

"Hm… I already feel safer," Dena murmured as she snuggled deeper into Reid's chest. Her tightened his hold on her and readjusted his head so it was resting in the nook of Dena's shoulder.

"Hey Dena, will you go with me to the Spring Formal?" Reid whispered.

"I was waiting for you to ask. Of course I will." Dena smiled. She tilted her head up and met Reid's lips in a soft kiss. "It's in three weeks right?"

"Ya, in the gym," Reid said. Dena nodded and resumed her position snuggled into Reid's chest. After returning to the dorms Dena and Reid had talked a little bit longer in Dena's room. Dena had fallen asleep while Reid was telling her a story from one of his summers at a summer camp. With Dena using him as a pillow Reid decided to stay the night in her dorm. He woke up the next morning to find his phone vibrating. "Hello?" he answered quietly.

"Reid! Where the hell are you?" Pogue's annoyed voice growled.

"I'm with Dena, and you woke me up."

"You were supposed to meet us at the meeting house! Get your ass over here as fast as you can." Pogue didn't wait for Reid to answer as he hung up the phone. Reid unwrapped his arms from Dena and got his shirt and jacket from their resting spot on a near by chair. As he was putting his tennis shoes back on, Dena turned over and looked at him with sleepy eyes.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I'm supposed to meet the guys. Pogue just called to remind me," Reid said. He bent over and gently kissed Dena. His hand traveled up her arm and pushed the strap of her tank top back up to her shoulder. "I'll see you later."

"Bye," Dena smiled. Reid quietly slipped out of the room and into the hallway.

Later that day Dena went into town with Sarah and Kate to look for a dress for the formal. Sarah found a soft pink and purple dress and Kate found a black and white floor length gown. Dena was still looking for a dress when she saw a metallic blue halter top dress. It was floor length and the back was tied up with dark blue laces. Dena quickly tried on the dress before buying it. After lunch the girls found shoes and other small accessories. Dena found a soft blue and gold flower hair flip that she bought so she could tie her hair back.

The three weeks before the formal went by quickly. Spencer Academy was all chatter about the dance. Girls were constantly comparing their outfits as the guys just talked about anything but the formal. Sarah, Dena, and Kate drove over to Caleb's house where they were meeting the others. Tyler had asked Amy and was going to be late because he had to pick her up. Caleb's mother opened the door and let the three girls in. She led them into the study where their three dates were waiting for them. After a seemingly endless amount of pictures Caleb's mother finally let them leave.

The gym had been transformed to a scene right out of Hollywood. The theme was 'A Red Carpet Affair' and the student council had certainly gotten every detail. Tyler and Amy met everyone at the front of gym so the four couples could walk in together. The four couples took pictures together with the professional photographer before going out on the dance floor. Reid held Dena in a soft grip as they moved in synchronized motion to the songs' beats. When the first slow song came on the dance floor thinned out as the singles in the crowd left. Dena wrapped her arms around Reid's neck and laid her head on his chest. She listened to his heart beat instead of the music as they slowly turned around. "I think I'm falling in love with you Reid Garwin," Dena whispered to herself.

"What did you say?" Reid asked.

"Hm? O, nothing," Dena answered. They finished the dance before they left the dance floor and get something to eat. They found a table with the others outside. As they sat under the twinkling the light that had been strung above them they talked about everything.

The school stopped the dance around midnight and ushered everyone out. Instead of taking Dena back to the dorms Reid drove out into the country. He pointed out the old Putnam Barn, or where it had been, and the meeting house. He drove until he came to an old iron gate that blocked the driveway to an old mansion that sat upon a hill. He quickly punched in a few numbers in a small box next to his window and the gate soundlessly opened. Reid pulled around to the front of the house and parked in front of the door. Ivy was clinging to the old brown bricks and a few branches dared to reach onto the windows.

"Is this your house?" Dena asked as her eyes roamed over the building.

"Ya, my parents…well my mom is never home. That's why I live in the dorms," Reid explained.

"And your dad?"

"He died when I was younger."

"I'm sorry," Dena whispered.

"Don't be, it was a while ago." Reid gave Dena a reassuring smile before leading her into the house. The foyer had dark mahogany on the floor as well as the walls. Some old family pictures were scattered on the walls that Dena only got a quick look at before Reid started to lead her up the stairs and into what was quite obviously his room. The walls were bare, but painted black. Reid opened two French doors that led to a large balcony where a table and a few chairs sat. Dena's breath was instantly taken away as she looked at Reid's backyard. There was a large pond surrounded by a few scattered trees.

"Reid… this… this is amazing," Dena whispered.

"I thought you might like it. Caleb's family's land is to the right of ours, Pogue's is to the left and Tyler's is next to Pogue's."

"Reid… I can't believe you've been able to keep all of this land through the years."

"The men sometimes wanted to sell it, but the women of my family never let them. Something about the land… spellbound them."

"I can see how," Dena said. She unconsciously shivered and Reid placed his jacket over her shoulders. He kept one arm around her waist. Dena held onto the jacket and leaned into Reid. "Reid?"

"Hm?"

"I think I'm falling in love with you," Dena said quietly. Reid's hand that was slowly rubbing her arms stopped.

"With me or the land?" Reid asked sarcastically.

"Both, but with you mostly," Dena turned around in Reid's arms and wrapped for arms around his neck.

"Well that's good. I know the land hasn't finished putting its spell on you, 'cause I'm falling in love with you." Reid bent down and kissed Dena.


	8. Surprise

**A/N**- Hello again! Sorry it has taken me so long to update. Life's been busy as usual. Bad news, it's only going to get busier. AP tests are in just over a month so I'm going to be studying my ass off since I'm taking 4 tests. Enjoy the chapter!

**BlackCaleb**- I'm glad you liked it. I'll try to get updates faster, but I can't be sure how fast.

**Arsonal Pyromaniac**- Thanks and yes Reid is hot.

**HopelessRomantic44**- 

**MagykGurl**- Sorry it's been such a long wait. I'm happy you like it though!

**CaliforniaQueen**- The really cocky Reid's can be annoying sometimes. I wanted Reid to be somewhat mature even if he doesn't always act like it. The Reid in my story still has his moments though…

**lightning86**- I'm happy you love it!

**Lisaxo**- Thanks! Don't worry I'm going to keep going with this story.

**Purpleangel**- I'm glad you like it!

* * *

A week after the dance and confessions Dena started to get jumpy. Every time Dena signed online to check her e-mail she would always get a message from TheTeacher reminding her of the client and her obligations. Dena had stopped responding when she finally gave into her heart and Reid. As the week got closer to its end Dena became even more jumpy, if it was even possible. The smallest noise would send her jumping or spook her. At first Reid didn't mind the jumpiness because Dena was usually jumping into his arms, but as it got worse it started worrying him.

The group was at the lighthouse just hanging out when Dena jumped at a creek from inside the old steel building. Dena instantly turned around to try and see into the dark, but her eyes just showed her one dark mass. Warm arms wrapped around her and turned her back around. "What has you so scared?" Reid whispered into her ear.

"Nothing, don't worry," Dena smiled and turned around. Reid took her hand and led her to the other side of the light house so that he could talk to her without the others getting involved.

"Dena, what is going on?"

"Nothing, I promise," Dena tried to give him a smiled, but Reid saw right through the masquerade.

"It is not nice to lie," A voice said. Reid whipped around to see none other than Chase Collins standing by the railing. Chase was leaning on the old railing watching as the waves crashed on the cliffs.

"Chase…" Reid growled. He pushed Dena behind him and his eyes instantly turned black.

"Showing your true self now Reid? Does your little girlfriend know about your other side? O wait, of course she does! She was sent here to kill you and your fellow brothers, after all," Chase laughed. Reid's head snapped back to Dena who had taken a few steps back and tears were already starting to fall down. "I'm sorry, did I ruin the surprise? Dena, I'm your client by the way. Thank you for waiting for me to get here so I could watch them die. Though I think you forgot your guns in your dorm room," Chase held out two pitch black guns. Dena just shook her head and kept backing up.

"No! I won't!" Dena screamed through her tears.

"Why? Do you love the witch?" Chase spat. His eyes turned back and he held the guns up to face Reid. "I believe the first rule of your kind is never to get your feelings involved in your hunt. I'm sure you mentor would love that, his protégé falling in love with a witch. How would your parents feel? Since they were killed by the kind you now hunt and apparently love."

"How would you know about their murders?" Dena whispered. Her tears had stopped for the moment as she waited for Chase to reply.

"My father was the one that killed them. He told me the story once when I first met him. He was sorry he let the daughter go. Now it's my turn to finish the job." Chase aimed the gun at Dena, but before he pulled the trigger a large, translucent ball of power hit him, knocking him back into the railing. Caleb, Tyler, and Pogue were standing there. All of their eyes were pitch black like Reid's and Chase's.

"We heard yelling," Pogue explained briefly.

"Well now the whole gang is here! We can start the party now!" Chase jumped up and started firing multiple, smaller energy balls at the guys. Dena ducked and ran for cover. She had been trained to fight witches and had her share of energy balls thrown at her, but she had never been in the middle of a witch on witch fight. She looked for her guns, but found that Chase had dropped them and they now sat at the edge of the circle of the fight.

Chase was laughing as he deflected the energy balls and sent them back to whoever had thrown it at him. Dena looked for a hole to get through, but knew Chase would either hit her or would put her in the way of another energy ball. The guys moved a bit to the left giving Dena a clear escape to the right. Dena ducked and ran, but as she got to the door she heard someone yell… a yell that sounded like it came from Reid. Wincing at the scream Dena continued on, but stopped when she heard her name.

"Dena!" Kate exclaimed. She pulled the distracted girl into the main room and under a desk. Kate was also huddled into the desk and whimpering. "What's going on?"

"They're in a fight. You and Kate need to go."

"What about you?" Dena didn't know how to answer her.

"Just go," Dena demanded. Sarah gave her a quizzical look, but pushed gate out of the desk. The two girls ran down the stairs and out of the lighthouse. Dena watched from a lower window as they jumped into Caleb's mustang and tore into the forest.

Dena turned back to the door and quickly ran back outside. She slunk quietly against the railing as she came closer to the fight. She could hear water splashing and grunts and groans coming from where the guys were trying to finally kill Chase. As she reached the fight she tried to hide the best she could in the shadows. Luckily it was already dark outside so the shadows were large enough to hide her. The guys had finally moved again and were farther away from Dena's guns. Dena watched the fight and noticed how Chase wasn't laughing anymore and was starting to wear down. Reid had a large cut on his arm and blood was slowly starting to seep out of his mouth. Caleb, Pogue, and Tyler weren't fairing all that much better either. Dena quickly ran out of the shadows and grabbed her guns before returning back to the shadows and waiting till she had a shot.

Chase used his power to grab and throw Tyler into the lighthouse through one of the many windows. Luckily, Tyler fell to the ground before he reached the light. Chase then turned to Pogue. He again used his powers to grab him and this time threw him up on top of the lighthouse. Pogue started to slide down, but stopped when he was able to grab onto rigid edge of a piece of paneling. Chase then grinned and used his powers once more to grab both Reid and Caleb by the necks and push them to the railing. He walked up and replaced his powers with his hands and brought his head down to their ears. "Now we are going to finish what we had already started. I believe Caleb still knows the words. Won't you remind us though Caleb? I'm not sure Reid might remember since he wasn't a part of our last meeting. It's really not so hard and it seems not to be that painful of a death… well actually, I wouldn't know. I've just been on the receiving end."

"Hey Mr. Collins!" Dena finally yelled. She had her guns aimed at Chase. "You'll be on the receiving end of this, but this will just kill you." Dena fired both guns. Chase's black eyes focused on the bullet's, but couldn't stop them. The bullets hit their marks and Chase tumbled over the railing and into the water below. Caleb and Reid started coughing and gasping for air as they both slid down the cold metal. Their eyes quickly went back to normal as they regained their breaths. As they stood up Pogue carefully finished sliding down the roof and Tyler was carefully standing up and was brushing the glass off of him. Dena watched for a few seconds before leaving the lighthouse. She ran down to the cliffs and carefully climbed down the rocks. Having dealt with witches before she knew she had to find the body and make sure he was dead. She found Chase's body floating face down in a small cave. Dena found a stick and pulled Chase back to shore where she checked for a pulse, but found none. Even though she was sure he was dead Dena fired one of her guns once more into his head before leaving the cave and climbing back up the cliffs. At least she was lucky enough that it hadn't rained so she could climb up. Otherwise she would be stuck down there until the next morning or whenever the sun decided to show itself again.

When she finally reached the top of the bluffs she was surprised to see the four witches she had been sent to kill still standing there. They were all huddled by Tyler's hummer. "Is he dead?" Pogue asked.

"If he wasn't after he fell, he is now," Dena said. She walked up to the truck and grabbed her wallet and phone. She closed the door and started walking down the road.

"Where are Kate and Sarah?" Caleb growled.

"Probably back at the dorms. I told them to leave. If you hadn't noticed your car is gone, Caleb." Dena yelled back to Caleb. She didn't hear anything for a few minutes before the engine was turned on. Tyler's black hummer soon passed her. The brake lights come on and Dena sighed.

"Get in the car," Caleb said when Dena walked passed them.

"I'm fine," Dena mumbled.

"Get in the car," Caleb insisted. Before Dena could respond she was grabbed and hauled into the back seat. She wiggled and squirmed until she was set down in a seat. An awkward silence came over the car, especially in the back where Pogue was separating Dena and Reid.

"Were you really sent to kill us?" Tyler asked.

"Yes."

"Were you going to go through with it?" Tyler asked again.

"If I was then you'd be dead." Another awkward silence fell over the occupants until Reid spoke up.

"Were we an act? I mean our relationship. Was it an act? Was everything you said a lie?" Though Reid was trying to stay strong and emotionless, but Dena could hear how sad and heartbroken he was in his voice.

"Everything I said, I did in the relationship was never a lie. I really did… do love you," Dena said quietly. She couldn't look at Reid because she knew that if his voice was having trouble hiding how he felt then his eyes were probably windows to all of his emotions. Anyway, she was already crying. He would never want to be in a relationship with someone who was sent to kill him and his closest friends. "I love you and always will…" Dena whispered. Even though the war was deathly silent, only Pogue heard her confession.


	9. Gone

**A/N- **Well this was a faster update than last time. I hope you guys like it! I will be house/dog sitting for a friend of mine so I'll be writing more, but I'm not sure about updating. I guess we'll find out though…

**MagykGurl**- Should I add a girl for Tyler… Hm…well… I'm not telling you. ;P

**Rainydaygirl4**- I'm glad you liked it!

**HopelessRomantic44**- It only gets worse for her…

**Niffer01**- I guess you'll just have to see what happens to them.

* * *

It was only a week and a half after Dena had left the hummer and the boys the night Chase had shown up and since then she had decided to leave. She called Lucy and set up plans to live with her until she could find a permanent place to live. She quickly got everything packed up into dull grey boxes and taped them up with even duller grey duct tape. As she was taping up the last of her boxes Sarah and Kate walked by and stopped when they noticed what she was doing.

"So you really are leaving?" Kate whispered. "We thought it was only a rumor."

"Well I hate to tell you it isn't, but that rumor is true. I just can't stay here any longer," Dena replied.

"Pogue and Caleb told us what happened. I don't know how Chase got stronger because he was already pretty strong, but he did. Dena you shouldn't go! You saved them!" Sarah exclaimed.

"But I was sent to kill them. They'll never trust me… and they probably won't want me near them as well. It's too hard to stay here."

"You mean it's too hard to be around Reid," Kate said. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned on the doorway. Dena's hand stopped for a second before she got up from the floor. She ignored Kate's comment and gathered a few loose items which she put into an open back pack.

"Aren't you taking your picture?" Sarah asked.

"No, you can have it. I've got to tog. The movers I hired are ready to go and I have to get to the airport," Dena said quietly.

"You mean you're not going to say goodbye to the guys?" Sarah asked.

"I can't. You can tell them if you want, but just make sure I'm gone by then. I don't want to see them right now. I'll send you guys an e-mail though when I get back to California." Dena slung a duffel bag and her back pack over her shoulders and then grabbed the last box. She walked outside to where the medium sized moving truck was waiting for her. Sarah and Kate watched from a window as Dena handed the box to a guy in the truck. There was an exchange of words before Dena got into a van that the airport had sent.

As Sarah and Kate slowly made their way back to their dorm they stopped in Dena's room and got the painting Dena had left behind. When they got back to their room Sarah set down the painting before she found her homework and started working. A couple hours later the four sons of Ipswich walked in. Pogue and Caleb immediately went to their girlfriends' sides as Tyler found a place to sit. Reid, though, didn't move. His eyes were locked on the painting that was carelessly leaning on Sarah's nightstand. The blue eyes of the goddess trapped him where he was. She had long silvery blonde hair that flared out behind her and the dress showed her every curve before fanning out at the waist. Behind her was a crescent moon that gave off a haunting glow.

"Is that... is that Dena's painting?" Reid asked. Sarah looked at the painting and nodded sadly. "She gave it to you?" Reid tried to hide the hurt which had engulfed his body, but wasn't sure if it worked when Sarah looked at him with sad eyes.

"Reid, Dena left. It's been about two hours," Sarah explained.

"What?" Reid choked out.

"She said she couldn't stay here; not after the lighthouse incident," Kate said.

"She said that?" Tyler asked. Reid had stumbled into a chair and his hands were buried in his hair.

"Something like that. We saw her right before she left," Kate said.

"She didn't say goodbye?" Caleb asked.

"Can you really blame her? Look at how you guys have been treating her. Ever since that night you just ignore her and if you do have to say something to her it's usually blunt and no more than five words," Sarah said, anger growing inside of her.

"Can you blame us Sarah?" Reid yelled back at her. "She was sent here to kill us!" His face had gone from horror stricken and filled with pain to cold and distant.

"She also saved you from you worst enemy!" Sarah yelled back. She had stood up and was now trying to face Reid, but Caleb had grabbed her and held her back.

"How are we supposed to look at her again? We can't trust her obviously!" Reid growled. He had also tried to advance, but Tyler and swiftly grabbed him and was keeping him back.

"So it wouldn't be the same as before that night. So what? You would have to work on a new friendship."

"She lies to us, Sarah! She lied to all of us! I wouldn't be surprised if everything she said was a lie. She lied to me too! She took my trust and heart and burned it all!" Reid yelled.

"She lied to you because she didn't tell you why she wasn't sent here? Who she really was?"

"Exactly."

"Last time I checked it took a similar situation for me to find out about who you guys really were. Kate had to wait till now. So would you consider that lying as well?" Sarah questioned.

"Sarah…" Caleb whispered.

"If so, should I have no trust in Caleb or any of you? Should I just ignore you and stop talking to you?" Sarah continued. "Last time I checked Kate and I are still talking to all of you, still continuing our relationships, and we're still supporting you."

"We weren't sent here to kill you."

"No, but what if Chase had never shown up? You wouldn't know that piece of information about Dena. You could have been kept in the dark just as long as Kate was if not longer."

Reid's fists were clenched and his face was turning an angry shade of red as he listened and fought with Sarah. Reid's eyes went black before flying to the painting. Kate gave a small squeak and clung to Pogue when Reid's eyes quickly passed over her. It was the first time Kate saw the black eyes and felt the power emanate off of them and flow into the room. The painting rose up into the air and came to the middle of the room. Everyone started yelling at Reid to stop, but he simply sent the painting to a bare wall and let it break on impact. When his eyes returned to normal he saw the two girls close to tears and his fellow brothers stunned to silence.

"Dena was right to leave. If she hadn't she would have died," Kate whispered into Pogue's shoulder. Reid heard Kate's comment and his head snapped to her direction.

"You think I would have physically harmed her or even killed her?"

"No, well not directly. She would have died from a broken heart. Her eyes were already dead when she left."

Reid scoffed at Kate's response to his question. He flung the door open, but before he left her turned back to the others. "She was probably just acting… and she fooled all of us."

oOoOoOo

"Dena!" Lucy yelled. Lucky was waiting by the baggage claim. Her hair was up in a sloppy bun and she was wearing a white tank top and blue board shorts over a purple bikini. The two girls ran to each other and gave each other hugs. The smell of salt water and sunscreen engulfed Dena's nose.

"Been surfing?" Dena asked.

"I couldn't resist. You have a bag?"

"Ya, just a duffel bag and then this back pack. My other stuff should be getting here in a couple days," Dena smiled. "You still living with your with your brother?"

"Ya, Tony is still living with me, but he also stays at a friend's house sometimes. Let's go home. Maybe we can catch a few waves before dinner." Lucy smiled. Dena just laughed and walked over to her baggage claim where she fought her way through to her bag. She grabbed her bag and followed Lucy to her old blue truck. "So are you going to go back to school or are you done?"

"I'm finished for this year. My teachers at Spencer let me take my finals before I left."

"What happened to that guy you were seeing… Reeve or something?" Dena looked at her hands as she took a few calming breaths to pull back her emotions.

"His name's Reid. I guess you can say we broke up," Dena said sadly.

"Is that why you've moved back?"

"It's one of the reasons. I'm sorry Lucy, but I don't really want to talk about what happened yet."

"That's alright. Why don't you go to sleep? It's about a two hour drive till we get home." Lucy said. Dena just nodded as she stared out the window.

Sometime during the trip Dena had indeed fallen asleep. She woke up as Lucy was pulling off the freeway and onto one of the beach roads. Dena stretched and rubbed the last of the sleep out of her eyes before sitting up. "Morning sleepy." Dena turned around to see Tony, Lucy's twin brother, sitting in the back seat.

"Hey Tony," Dena smiled. "When did you get picked up?"

"O, about twenty minutes ago. It must have been a hard and long flight if it knocked you out like that. You're usually a light sleeper."

"It was," Dena yawned. Lucy turned into the driveway of a blue, two story house that sat right on the beach. Tony helped Dena with her bays and put them into the guest room. "I still can't believe your parents got you this house." Dena said as she joined the brother and sister in their kitchen.

"It's nice of them to think of us… even if it was only once every month." Lucy said. "So what do you want for dinner? Tony was going to cook some hamburgers."

"That sounds good," Dena said.

"I'm going back out. I didn't get enough waves in today." Lucy said. She stripped her shirt off and grabbed some wax sitting on the counter.

"How many have you already surfed?"

"I don't know. I lost count earlier. I'll be back before dinner, don't worry." Lucy jumped walked out to the back deck and found a surfboard that she wanted before walking out to the beach.

"You aren't going out with her?" Tony asked as he got out hamburger from the refrigerator.

"Nah, I'm going to go set up my computer. I want to send an e-mail to some friends to tell them I made it here safely." Dena said. Everyone quickly got around to what they were supposed to be doing. Dena grabbed her computer and set it up. She went to her e-mail as soon as her internet was connected. After scanning over the unread e-mails and reporting spam she opened a blank e-mail.

_S&K_

_I made it to Cali. The flight was long, but I'm here now. I'm staying with my friend Lucy and her brother on the beach._

_-D_


	10. Alone

**A/N-** Here's a quick update for you guys. It does sometimes help to have these chapters pre written… well enjoy!

**Rainydaygirl4**- How could I resist 5 smileys? Well I still have internet when I come home so I get to update.

**tyLer**-Lover- I'm glad you like it!

**angel4life**- I know it's sad and it doesn't really start to get better yet. It will soon though.

**MagykGurl**- Lucy just knows that Dena moves around a lot, but that's about it. She doesn't know the reason or anything like that. I'm not saying anything about what could happen between any characters.

**maddie miquel**- Thanks for the review!

**Niffer01**- Everyone had their faults… now its just time for acceptance and recovery.

**HopelessRomantic44**- Yes poor Dena, but life doesn't get easier for another chapter or so…

* * *

For once it was actually raining in California during the summer. It was one of those freak storms that caught the state's population by surprise. Lucy had been determined to get enough waves for the day so she still went out. She was forced back into the house fifteen minutes later. Dena was in front of the fire place drinking some hot tea while Tony was sitting on the couch working on some homework. "You guys are no fun!" Lucy whined. Tony smirked and shook his head and he typed a few numbers on his calculator. Dena just kept staring off into space. Lucy sighed and sat down next to her friend. "You have to stop thinking about him D. You need to move on. From what I can see you aren't going to be seeing him again, at least not soon."

"You're cold." Dena whispered.

"I'm not trying to be mean."

"No I mean, you're physically cold," Dena corrected. "I'm going to be in my room painting." Dena got up and put her cup into the sink before going up stars to her room. As she sat in front of her painting she couldn't hold back a tear that rode down her cheek. Her painting was currently a Celtic knot behind two faces. The faces were currently bare, but a picture taped to the top corner reminded Dena of the models. It was her and Reid sitting on the hood of his impala. The knot was blue and the rest was the canvas other than the faces was black. Dena tried to work on Reid's face, but every time she brought the brush her hand would start to shake. She gave up and decided to work on her own face. When she was finished she washed her brushes. Instead of going back down stairs she sat on her day bed and pulled her knees up to her chest. The clouds had become so thick Dena couldn't see the sand in front of the house or the waves. All she could see was the tiny rain drops plastering themselves to her window.

"You really do need to get over him." Tony said from the doorway.

"I know, but it's so hard. I loved him Tony!" Dena cried. She couldn't help the tears that fell out of her eyes. Tony came over and wrapped Dena in his arms. "I loved him… I loved him…" Dena chanted. She soon cried herself to sleep so Tony put her to bed.

When Tony walked back down stairs Lucy was just coming out of her shower. "She cried herself to sleep." Tony said. "I'm going to try and find her a job. Maybe that will help."

"Hey Tony, I have an idea. I'll be right back." Lucy ran up the stairs, but her footsteps stopped when she reached Dena's room. A minute later Lucy was back down stairs and logging onto her computer.

"Lucy, what are you doing?" Tony hissed.

"I'm getting an e-mail address for what looks like someone from Spencer." Lucy said with a smile. She quickly typed out an e-mail and sent it. "You still need to get Dena that job."

"There's an opening at Sports Chalet. She can work with me."

"That sounds good. Well now we just have to wait and see what happens."

oOoOoOo

"Reid, I asked you t stop bringing your dates here!" Tyler yelled. It had been three weeks since Dena had left and Reid had been on a rampage. He was going out ever night and bringing home the girls. Tyler had started to stay with Pogue so he wouldn't hear Reid and his date. This time the girl was just leaving as Tyler came in for some notes Reid had borrowed.

"Why do you care? You don't even live here anymore," Reid replied.

"I'm not living here because of you and your dates! If you don't watch out Reid you'll wake up with Kiera one morning."

"Well sorry, Caleb."

"Caleb was right about you."

"What is our dear friend Caleb saying now? No let me guess, he's saying I'm abusing my powers? Or am I killing myself?"

"You aren't going to live as long as your father. You're abusing your powers far worse than before Chase came." Reid was silent for once. Tyler grabbed his notes and some more clothes and turned to leave. "By the way, Dena's been asking about you in her e-mails to Sarah and Kate and we don't know what to say."

Later that day Reid walked into the lunch room to see his friends already eating and talking. When he walked over, the table went silent. Reid just plopped down at the open chair and laid his head down on the table. The group came into an awkward silence before Pogue finally started talking. "Have you guys heard about the pool tournament at Nicky's? It seems that he wants to do it every year. It costs twenty to enter and the winner gets $200, second place gets $100."

"I'm in." Tyler said instantly.

"I guess I will." Reid said.

"Alright, well the competition is tomorrow. The flyer I saw said it started at 3 tomorrow."

"Why so soon?" Reid asked.

"Nicky wants the first tournament to be just locals so he sees no need in waiting." Pogue explained. Everyone agreed to meet at the dorms the next day before heading to the bar.

The four guys and two girls found their way through a very crowded Nicky's the next afternoon. It seemed a lot of people were going to be trying to get that $200. Aaron and his friends are playing at one table already warming up. "Hey Nicky, where do we sign up?" Tyler asked.

"Right here, I was wondering when you two would show up. You guys want anything?"

"Four cokes, a sprite, and a root beer." Caleb ordered. Nicky walked away for a minute, but came back with the six drinks. Caleb handed Nicky the money and took a coke and root beer. Pogue took another coke and the sprite before following Caleb to the table Sarah and Kate had found a table.

"Here you girls go." Pogue said as he set the sprite down in front of Kate. The four watched as Reid and Tyler started their tournament. "Have you heard anything from Dena?"

"Not since the last e-mail a couple weeks ago." Kate said.

"Actually, I got a new e-mail today. It wasn't from Dena, but from the people she's living with. They said she is still getting through the days. She had tried to paint, but won't finish the picture. Lucy, the girl she's staying with, got her to surf a few times and Tony, Lucy's brother, is going to get her a job at Sport's Chalet."

"So in other words she's not doing any better." Caleb said.

"Pretty much. They want us to try and get them together again. Maybe see if something happens between them again." Sarah explained.

"First, do you guys forgive her? You two need to forgive her and so does Tyler. Reid will need some time still."

"I guess so. I mean she had all those times to kill us, but when she was actually given an open shot she turned around and saved us." Pogue said.

"Ya, we forgive her. Tyler probably will too. Reid is another story though. How are we supposed to get them together?" The group was silent as they thought about it. They looked over at the pool tables and watched as Reid won his game.

"I've got an idea." Pogue said.


	11. Pool Tournaments

**A/N-** Yay another fast update! And here comes the plan… Please don't kill me for the cliffy! So I've been trying to update, but every time I try I get an error. While this has been going on I've been able to write 2 ½ more chapters so updates will be quick for a while.

**HopelessRomantic44**- It's part Pogue and part Lucy and you're about to find out.

**Rainydaygirl4**- I don't know about roommates yet… that's in a couple months for me.

**Scouter**- Updating as fast as possible.

**soccergurl382**- Sorry about leaving you hanging, but this one has another cliffy!

**MagykGurl**- I'm glad you like it!

**emma134**- I'm happy you like it!

**TakaShira**- I don't care if you read my story or not. I like writing for me and for those who like it. Maybe you'll find the story gets better as you go, but I don't know. It depends on what type of stories and writing you like. Again, read if you want, otherwise you can try relieving your boredom somewhere else. So for your chapter 2 story… I find you're a hypocrite. You tell me everyone does a party (who fing cares if I follow the crowd btw… there are a lot of parties in original works… they're good scenes to put into stories), but wait… in your first comment didn't you say you were going to read my story because you needed ideas? So you might be COPYING one of my ideas, which might have been done by others. You might not even be reading this chapter by now and right now… I don't think you should be since all you're doing is looking for ideas by going through other people's work instead of thinking about it and finding your own.

**Elfvamp1-13-97**- I'm glad you like it!

**Larissa**- Sorry about the cliffhanger. I'm trying to update as fast as I can.

* * *

Reid won the top prize that night, followed by Tyler, and then a brooding Aaron. Reid, of course, couldn't help but gloat after he beat Aaron. Both were almost thrown out of the tournament and bar when they started yelling at each other. Reid was given the $200 and a small trophy which he decided was crap so he threw it away. He was constantly talking about his win for a few days until he was sent to the Provost's office for almost getting into a fight with Aaron in between classes.

"Have you learned your lesson yet, Reid?" Sarah asked as Reid joined everyone at lunch.

"Until the next time Aaron says something stupid." Reid said. "Are we doing something tonight or finding a party somewhere? We better be doing something for spring break next week!"

"We don't know about any parties, but we got tickets to LA," Tyler said.

"Why are we going to LA?"

"There's a pool tournament at a bar out there. It's right on the beach," Tyler continued to explain.

"Alright, where are we staying?" Reid asked as he took a bite out of his sandwich.

"I have a friend who has a beach house there. She said we can stay with her, but it might be a bit cramped." Sarah said.

"So when do we leave?" Reid asked.

"Tomorrow morning. You need to be packed and ready at 3. Our plane leaves at 5. We're going to go straight to the bar because the tournament starts the afternoon we get there." Caleb said.

"Alright, I'll be ready. Tyler might have some trouble. Baby Boy's got to get all his outfits out and make sure they all matched." Reid ducked as Tyler tried to hit him. The rest of the table started laughing. At least that was a promising start towards a recovery back to the old Reid.

Meanwhile Tony and Dena were just getting to work. Anne, one of the other employees, greeted them in the back room. "Hey guys!" Anne had long black hair and brown, chocolate eyes. She worked with Dena and Tony in the water sports area.

"Hey Anne." The two said.

"Have you guys heard about the pool tournament at Buck's? He wants to get more business so he's decided to have one. It's only $20 to enter." Anne said.

"When is it?" Tony asked.

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"We have work." Dena sighed.

"Well if one of you wants to go I'll cover for you." Anne smiled.

"Why don't you go with Lucy, Dena?" Tony suggested.

"Are you guys sure?" Dena asked.

"You're the pool player, you should go." Tony said.

"I can use the time here. I need to work some more." Anne said.

"Well if you guys are sure… ya… I'll go. I'll play for all three of us though." Dena smiled.

oOoOoOo

The plain ride to LA was pretty calm. Reid and Tyler got into a few fights before they fell asleep. Caleb and Sarah sat behind them with Kate and Pogue in the last row. They slept for most of the flight until the captain came onto the loud system to tell everyone they were landing. When they landed they found the rental car stand. They got to cars, an Escalade for Reid and Tyler and a 2004 Mustang for the others. The drive took almost two hours to get to the bar. Sure enough it was right on the beach. The group was an hour early so Reid and Tyler signed up before joining everyone on the beach. They spent their hour laying around and playing football with a ball they bought at a local store. Reid and Tyler headed back into the bar before it became crowded so they could find a table for everyone. When the tournament started they quickly found the table they were supposed to start at and left everyone at the table. After a few games the crowd started to get thinner as more people lost and left. Reid noticed Caleb and Sarah talking to a girl with light brown hair. He just guessed it was Sarah's friend who they were staying with. Another few games passed and Reid found out he was acing Tyler.

"Sorry you have to leave, Baby Boy." Reid grinned as he called the far left corner pocket and sunk the black 8 ball into it. "At least you still got to come to California."

"Ya ya, I think you're wanted at the finale table." Tyler said. He patted Reid on the shoulder and smiled as he left to go stand with the others. "Is she here?" No one answered, but all watched as the owner got up and walked over to the final table.

"For the final match up we have an east coast boy versus one of our own. Playing in the final round is Reid Garwin," Reid stepped up to the table, "and Dena Winters." Reid's eyes visibly widened and his head turned to where the crowd was pushing an equally stunned Dena.

"Go on Dena! That's $300 closer to that car you want!" Lucy said. She gave Dena one last push and Dena was stumbling over to the table.

"Good luck," Dena said quietly. She had her head down and one arm was crossed over her stomach, holding the elbow of the other arm.

"Uh, ya, you too." Reid answered. Buck came over with a quarter. Dena called heads as he flipped it. It landed heads so Dena decided to break. Throughout the game Dena and Reid were at opposite sides of the table. Dena got the first ball into the pocket, but Reid answered by knocking two more in. At the end both Reid and Dena were fighting for the eight ball. The three other sons of Ipswich and their two girlfriends were surprised that Reid had yet to use his powers. They watch as Dean called the right side pocket and smoothly sunk the ball into it. The people who had stayed till the end cheered as Buck came over and gave Dena the money and trophy. Buck called someone out of the crowd and shoved Dena and Reid together for a picture. He then announced that both finalists got a free dinner. As soon as she could Dena grabbed her food and walked outside.

"Where's she going?" Pogue asked.

"She likes to eat outside. She's been eating out there since she got back." Lucy explained as she walked up behind the group.

"Reid go talk to her." Sarah said.

"Why should I?" Reid growled.

"If you weren't so blind you'd see that Dena's hurting just as much as you. I don't care about your ego and how wounded it was, but couldn't you put it aside just this once? At least go say hi or good job." Sarah exclaimed.

"Fine I'll say good job and come right back in here." Reid growled. He finished his burger and grabbed his drink before storming outside.

"Hey Lucy, thanks for the idea for the tournament. We made a huge profit!" Buck grinned.

"I thought you might. Now do I get a tip for giving you the idea?" Lucy called.

"If you want money then you can come work for me!" Buck yelled back.

"Dude, do I get some of that money? I gave you the idea." Pogue asked when Buck was out of ear shot.

Outside Reid slammed the door behind him and looked down the street. There was no sign of Dena so he headed out to the beach. Dena was sitting on a small sand dune. She had her black t-shirt off and just had on a bikini top with a skirt. Reid stopped before continuing over to her. "Good job tonight." Reid said. He shoved his hands into his pocket. Dena didn't turn around, but Reid knew she had heard him.

"I wish none of this would have happened."


	12. Talking

**A/N- **Hey guys! There's not much to say except enjoy the next chapter! O ya, it looks like this story is going to be around 15 or so chapters just to let you know. So yes, we are coming closer and closer to the end…

**tyLer-Lover**- Yes they are both blind, but they do have friends ready to make them see what they need to do.

**HopelessRomantic44**- I'm glad you liked it!

**soccergurl382**- Yup sorry for the cliffy, but this one doesn't have one so it isn't as bad.

**emma134**- I'm not mean enough to leave for all that long.

**Elfvamp1-13-97**- Hm yes, life does suck, but there's always hope of it getting better.

**SilentDancer92**- I'm glad you think it's interesting. I've had some people who aren't… let's say qualified to say anything, think it's not. I'm not talking about recent reviews, but my now ex-beta as well. Thanks for the reassurance.

**BlackCaleb**- Dena did win the pool tournament. It didn't really help Reid's mood though…

* * *

"I wish none of this would have happened…"

Reid was just about to go when Dena had finally said something. "You wish none of what would have happened?"

"The fight, Chase, everything, I wish my parents hadn't have died. Maybe then I'd be a normal teenager. Maybe Chase wouldn't have been able to get you guys so easy again."

"Chase knew where we were. He could have gotten to us just as easy as he did." Reid replied.

"Look, at all he did though! He's dead and because of him we… people are still hurting. I don't expect you to ever forgive me, in act I hope you don't. Everything that's happened has made me look back on my life. I've been doing the wrong thing the whole time. I have you and the others to thank for that."

"What are you doing now?"

"Tony got me a job at Sports Chalet. Right now I'm thinking about taking a year off. My parents died when I still wanted to be a princess or have some other fantasy come true. My life became what it is today when they died. I don't really know what I'm going to do or what is going to happen."

Reid was quiet for a bit as he absorbed all of the information. "Who are you staying with? That brown haired girl?"

"Ya, that's Lucy. I'm staying with her and Tony."

"Who's Tony? You're boyfriend?"

"No, he's Lucy's brother. I don't think I could ever date again. You did that to me, Reid. I know I'll never find someone as good as you so I don't want to try."

"I'm not that good."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not. Dena since you've left I've pretty much had a new girl every night." Reid mentally winced as Dena's eyes flashed with hurt before she lowered her head. The next time Reid spoke his voice was lower. "I was killing myself. The guys thought I'd die before my dad. Tyler was living with Pogue because he couldn't stand me. No one could stand me."

"Reid-" Dena started, but he put his hand up and she fell silent again.

"That picture you left behind and gave Sarah. I threw it against the wall and splintered it. I've gotten lost after you… I'm… I'm lost now." Dena now had tears that were starting to fall down her cheeks. Reid was standing a few steps off when he was done. Dena got up and ran over to Reid. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his shoulder.

"I tried to stay strong. I tried to move on and live, but I was lost too. Lucy and Tony were so worried about me. Tony forced me to go to work and Lucy would never leave me alone. I went surfing, but never stayed out long. The last time I was out here I would stay out all day with Lucy. I would never really go out at night either, not even for dinner. Tony had to drag me out once for a party, but I stayed in the corner before walking home." The couple was silent for a long time till Reid spoke up.

"What are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know. Where are you guys staying?" Dena asked.

"We're staying with one of Sarah's friends. We haven't been there yet."

"You guys must be tired. Since you might be here for a few days, do you want to hang out at some point? We could just go see a movie or something? I mean, you don't have to, I'll completely understand if you don't want to. I was the one who caused all of this and-" Dena's rambling was cut off by Reid placing a figure over her lips to shut her up.

"I don't see why not. You still have my cell phone number right?" Dena nodded. "Call me tomorrow then. We'll set something up."

"Ok, I think we… or I should be heading in. I need to get back to the house."

"I'll come in with you. I'm sure Caleb and Sarah will be wondering what happened."

"The others will want to know too, including Lucy. Tony's probably called her by now too," Dena said she grabbed her food and threw it into a near by trash can. "So how long are you staying here?"

"For a week or so. School got out for break yesterday and we have two weeks off so we'll be out here till we have to go back."

"You guys will have some fun. It rained last week so it's going to be nice for a while. You guys should go to the beach in a couple days. I wouldn't go right away because the rain washes toxins to the ocean and it can be nasty for a couple days."

"Thanks for the warning, but we are definitely going to go to the beach. We are in Southern California after all." Reid laughed. The pair walked back into Buck's and were greeted by the smiling faces of their friends.

"They assume something has happened. I can see it in their eyes." Dena whispered through gritted teeth.

"Let them assume, just let them assume." Reid responded.

Dena was able to pry the car keys from Lucy after promising to see everyone again before they left. Lucy was going to get a ride home from her new found friends after they were done. Dena dumped the keys into a dish on the kitchen counter that held various keys and other small trinkets. Tony's car was still not in the driveway so Dena guessed he was either at work or out with Anne since practically everyone knew they liked each other. Dena slowly made her way up to her room, turned on her music and got out her acrylic paints. After tonight she was determined to finish the painting. As usual she lost track of time and was just finishing when she heard the front door open and close and multiple people walk in. Dena took off her white painting shirt, or rather her rainbow colored shirt since it had been painted over the years, and replaced it with a blue tank top, put her brushes away and walked down stairs.

"Hey girl!" Kate said when she saw Dena coming down the stairs.

"What are you guys doing here?" Dena asked as she joined everyone.

"We're staying with Sarah's friend… who happens to be you and Lucy." Pogue explained.

"You've been planning this haven't you?" Dena accused Sarah and Lucy.

"Maybe…" Both answered in unison while sharing a smile.

"Did you guys think about where people would sleep?" Dena asked. She leaned on the banister and crossed her arms over her chest. "We only have your small guest room or study room open."

"Tony's staying with some friend from work so we actually have two rooms free. Then there are the couches out here." Lucy explained. "Now, who wants ice cream?"

"I'll be back down for mine. I want to finish cleaning up." Dena said. She walked back up stairs and disappeared into the hallway. The whole time she had been down stairs she had avoided looking at Reid. Was he surprised like her? Confused? Mad? Happy? Dena just shook her head clear of the thoughts and went about her room cleaning up.

"Hey Dena, Lucy told me to bring your ice cream up here." Tyler said as he walked into the room.

"Thanks Tyler, just put it on the table. Tell Lucy I'm almost done. I'm just drying my brushes." Dena called from her conjoined bathroom. Tyler did as he was asked, but as he turned around he caught sight of the finished painting.

When Dena walked out of the room two minutes later she was surprised to see Reid standing there looking at the painting. "When did you come up here?"

"Just now. Tyler told me there was something I should see. When did you start this?"

"I had a rough drawing on regular paper before I left Spencer. I started this though a week after I got here. It gave me something to do and a place to pour my feelings into." Dena whispered.

"Some of the paint looks wet. You just finished it?"

"Um, ya, I just finished your face." Dena tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and shifted her weight nervously. "Do you want to go back downstairs? I'm guessing we're going to watch a movie or something. We usually do on Saturday nights anyways."

"Uh, ya, sure." Reid followed Dena back down the hall and into the living room. The rest of the group was already spread out on the various couches when the pair arrived. They had been kind enough to leave the love seat open for Reid and Dena.


	13. Girlfriend?

**A/N**- Hey guys! I don't know what's going on with e-mail alerts right now… I didn't get any review alerts and I didn't get my alert for posting the last chapter. I've seen this happen before and in some cases it takes a while for fanfiction to fix this problem. Anyways, I've decided not to wait for the alerts to come out and just post the next chapter. Enjoy!

**insane-rocker**- I'm glad you liked it!

**Niffer01**- Yes, they're friends are so nice to leave them somewhere to sit…

**tyLer-Lover**- Thanks for the review! There will be another beach scene coming up too. I think fanfiction has been having trouble. I had problems uploading for a while and I'm not getting any e-mail alerts right now either. I'm getting all of my reviews off my stats page.

**soccergurl382**- I definitely have some good scenes planned. At least I think so. My favorite right now is actually the end… when that's posted you'll see what I'm talking about.

**Happy Face21**- Yup, it is definitely time for that road, but I wouldn't necessarily call it slow…

**Larissa**- I'm glad you liked it! Read on to find out if your hopes come true.

* * *

The next morning Dena slowly woke up as light tried to penetrate her eye lids. She was instantly able to remember everything that had happened yesterday; the pool tournament, Reid, talking on the beach, living arrangements, talking to Reid, and the movies. Dena couldn't remember anything after the second movie. She slowly opened her eyes to find everyone else asleep in the living room. Caleb and Sarah were cuddled together on the lazy boy Tony had always favored. Pogue and Kate were stretched out on the long couch. A surprise was Tyler and Lucy on the floor sharing pillows and a blanket. The biggest surprise though for Dena was the arm that was wrapped around her waist. Dena was lying on her side and she finally came to realize someone was breathing on the back of her neck. She turned her head to find Reid behind her, his arm draped protectively on her waist, and their legs were tangled together.

"Miss this?" Reid's cocky voice asked.

"Ya, I do actually." Dena responded quietly. She quickly untangled herself from Reid. She padded her way into the kitchen and found a cordless phone. "Hey Anne, is Tony there?... Ya, can I talk to him? Thanks… Ya hey, do I have to be at work today?... Not for the rest of the week? Tony what did you do?... You lied to John! You're going to get me fired… Ya fine… I will… I promise… Ok… Bye."

"What was that all about? You didn't sound too happy about not going into work." Reid asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"I have the next two weeks off. I need to take care of my cousin apparently since their mother is getting surgery and their dad is out of the country. I just don't like the idea of Tony making up a lie for me is all."

"You know most people would be happy to get a two week break from work."

"Most people didn't just start their job a few weeks ago. So Cuz, what do you want for your breakfast?"

"You." Reid wrapped his arms around Dena's stomach and nuzzled her neck. Dena quickly slid out of the embrace and took a few steps to separate them.

"Sorry, I'm not on the menu. Anyway, didn't we agree on not starting anything right away?"

"Well then I'll have eggs, some bacon, sourdough toast, and some orange juice."

"Alright, you just need to give me a bit of time." Dena said. Reid took a seat at the small breakfast bar and watched Dena run around the kitchen.

"How long were you awake last night?" Reid asked.

"Um… middle of the second movie. You?"

"A little bit after. I can't believe Tyler and Lucy though. Did you see them sharing that blanket?"

"Ya, so? Didn't he break up with Amy a couple weeks ago?"

"Ya, but he never moved so fast."

"I couldn't say he's the only one doing something. Let's just say that Lucy is a really friendly person."

"You're probably right."

"No, I am right, trust me." Reid just nodded. Dena set a glass of orange juice in front of him. Dena finished cooking and got out two plates for them. She quickly filled the plates with food and handed one to Reid. "We can go outside."

"Shouldn't we wake the others?"

"We could, or we could just let them reheat everything. I made enough for everyone."

"Alright, lead the way." Dena walked over the sleeping bodies of Lucy and Tyler, who seemed to have moved closer and out the back door. Reid slipped out of the door after Dena and sat down next to her on the patio. It was currently low tide and some sea lions were on the beach.

"Where did you learn to cook?" Reid asked.

"My mom before she died. It was like our bonding time." Dena explained. She let the subject drop so the pair just ate in silence. Soon two empty plates were on the small patio table. Out of the corner of her eye Dena noticed that Reid looked a bit nervous.

"Dena, be my girlfriend again?" Reid asked out of the blue.

"O, just because I can cook you want me to be your girlfriend?" Dena joked.

"No, I really want you to be my girlfriend." Reid said. The seriousness in his voice scared Dena a bit and the shock from the question stunned her into silence.

"But-"

"Thanks for breakfast, D!" Lucy exclaimed walking onto the patio and hugged Dena.

"Ya, no problem." Dena muttered. Lucy went back inside and Dena and Reid could hear the plates clattering in the kitchen. "Reid, I thought we were just going to hang out."

"I know, but Dena, will you please be my girlfriend?"

"Reid… I… I don't know."

"Do you still like me? Do you still have feelings for me?"

"I will always have feelings for you. You do not know how strong they are. What I do not understand is why I am the one having to think about this. You're the one who has reasons to avoid me like the plague."

"If I did that I wouldn't be able to live with myself. Dena, please!" Reid was now on his knees in front of her.

"As long as we can take it slow and build, or rebuild the trust." Dena said. Reid came up and kissed Dena soundly.

"Thank you." Reid said when they broke apart.

"Don't thank me. I should be thanking you. I don't know how you ever came to thank me. And… and if you hadn't come I don't know if I would have ever seen you again."

"I think we have our friends to thank for that." Reid said quietly.

"Wow, is Reid Garwin willingly giving someone else credit when he could take it all?"

"Hey, be nice… and don't tell them." Reid laughed.

"Aw is your ego wounded?" Dena cooed.

"Yes it is. I think it needs a kiss." Dena smiled before leaving forward and kissing Reid.

"Hey guys! They've made up!" Lucy yelled from inside the house. "Hey Dena, does this mean that you'll go to Harvard?"

"You got into Harvard?" Reid asked.

"I applied while I was still at Spencer. I got the letter a couple weeks ago though." Dena explained. "What do you think I should do?"

"Since I am your boyfriend and I am going to Harvard as well, I say you should go, though the decision is completely up to you. What other schools did you apply to?"

"USC, Yale, and Stanford. I got into all of them except for Yale."

"That's a good list." Reid said.

"I know. I was scared that none of them would accept me. Now I'm fine since I'm pretty sure I know where I'm going."

"And that would be?"

"Harvard. I want to go into Law there. Plus I heard there are some pretty hot guys there."

"Ya, of course, I am going there, remember? Anyway, none of those guys will be able to lay one hand on you."

"And why is that?"

"Your insanely jealous boyfriend will break off their hand if they do. Or at least make it incapable of movement for a while."

"Alright, I'll try my best not to tempt anyone, but I can't promise anything. I'm not changing the way I look or act."

"I would never ask you to."

"Good. Also, if I see a single girl giving you any kind of hints or trying to be a flirt… it's not my fault they are in the hospital."

"Now who's the jealous one?"

"I never said I wasn't." Dena smirked. Sometime during their conversation Lucy had decided to leave them alone. That gave Reid and Dena the perfect opportunity to start catching up on all of the kisses they had missed during their separation.


	14. Spending Time Together

**A/N**- Hey guys! So one more chapter after this. Sorry it took so long for me to update. Finally my senior year has started getting really really hectic. I'm sorry if it isn't edited well in advance. I wanted to post it so I did a very quick look over. Enjoy!

**soccergurl382**- I'm glad you liked it! The ending is the next chapter so although you still have to wait one more chapter it is pretty close.

**MagykGurl**- Thanks!

**raven2547**- I was scared about making Reid too… well sappy, but I guess it turned out alright since everyone liked it!

**tyLer-Lover**- Ok… I have no clue what 'PM' means… it sounds familiar, but I can't place it…

**Happy Face21**- Well I'm happy you don't mind the fast reconciliation between Dena and Reid. That wasn't the last chapter (obviously). There is still this chapter along with one more. I'm not sure about an epilogue because I have an idea for a sequel so I'm going to start writing that one soon. Don't expect to see it for a bit though because I want to have most of the story written before I start posting it.

**Larissa**- Thanks I'm glad you like it!

* * *

Tony had eventually returned home for a bit to get his surf board and more clothes. He brought Anne with him so everyone was finally able to meet the pair. They had decided to drive down to coast and go to Zuma for the day. Tony just wanted to get a shore break and Lucy was more than ready to agree with him and add her board to the car. This time they took three cars because Tony and Anne didn't want to separate and Lucy claimed that she was in the middle of a conversation with Tyler that she didn't want to end. The three car caravan drove the 45 minutes to Malibu where they found some street parking. Luckily school was still in for most local schools so the beach was still relatively empty. The girls set up towels and umbrellas to lie on while the guys got a game of football started. Tony left the game so the teams would be even and so he could go surfing.

"So Dena, I can't believe you're actually going to Harvard with the rest of us." Kate said.

"Ya I know, exciting huh? It's going to be like Spencer again, but with the addition of Lucy."

"Lucy, you're going to go to Harvard too?" Sarah asked.

"Yup, I'm going to major in English though. I want to become a teacher, well professor actually."

"That's so cool. What about your brother and Anne?"

"Anne's going to UC Davis to become a vet and Tony's going to UCSB for sports medicine."

"That's cool."

"I'm going into the water. I'm getting hot." Dena said. She got up from her towel ad placed her sunglasses into her bag. She took off her shorts and sandals so all she was in was her aqua blue bikini. As she walked over to the hard sand the football the guys had been playing with landed at her feet. Before she knew what was going on Reid had Dena over his shoulder and was hauling her into the water. "Reid, put me down! Reid! Don't you dare drop me! Reid, are you listening to me? Reid!" The game on the beach had stopped and everyone else in the group was watching the newly reconnected couple.

"Yes I hear you, baby. Why are you telling what to do? You know I don't like people telling me what to do."

"I'm sorry then, but Reid? You know how I love you right? You wouldn't want to ruin that by dropping me into the horribly cold salt water right?" Dena asked. The only response Dena was given was the shock of cold water surrounding her. She still felt Reid's warm arms around her as they became weightless under the water. "Reid!" Dena yelled when they finally surfaced. Reid just laughed as he sat down when the water finally got shallow enough.

Dena grinned and pushed Reid back into the water and fell on top of him. She left a quick kiss on his lips before getting up and running off across the beach. Reid grinned as well and raced after her. By now the game on the beach had resumed so no one noticed when Dena ran out into the deeper water and Reid quickly followed her. They both spent a few minutes swimming around playing a game of cat and mouse. When they both re-emerged from the water they were laughing and tumbling up the beach. They landed on Dena's overly large beach towel with everyone else.

oOoOoOo

A week and a half later Dena and Lucy were at the airport watching as their east coast friends were checking in and getting their tickets. Anne and Tony were standing slightly behind Lucy and Dena watching everything happen. Pogue and Caleb checked in their luggage as well as Sarah's and Kate's before Reid and Tyler were able to get their checked in. When everyone was together they walked over to security, but waited before going through. With all of the increased security those not flying typically didn't go past the guards.

"Are you guys going to visit sometime?" Tyler asked. His question was directed to the four staying in California, but his eyes were aimed at Lucy.

"Maybe, depends on work schedules." Lucy responded.

"Well make sure it's soon. I don't want to be alone long again." Reid whispered the last part into Dena's hair. Dena simply nodded, not trusting her voice.

"We've need to get to the terminal." Sarah said quietly. She didn't want to interrupt the couple, but new how hard flying is these days. She said goodbye to everyone along with Caleb, Pogue, and Kate before heading into security. Reid wrapped his arms around Dena and shook his head in her shoulder.

"I don't want to go."

"I'll see you soon. I promise." Dena said. She leaned further into Reid's body so their bodies were plastered together.

"I'll keep you to that promise. If you are not visiting when I think you should then I'm flying out here to kidnap you."

"Reid, that would mean you would be back here tomorrow then. We'll have to set a time limit."

"I'll think about it and call you tomorrow with one alright?" Dena nodded.

"I'll talk to you then." She turned around and wrapped her arms around Reid's neck as their lips met in a gentle, yet very passionate, goodbye kiss. "Bye."

"Bye." When they separated they found Tyler and Lucy in the middle of their own goodbye. Reid and Tyler walked through the security area together and rejoined their group on the second floor. They both waved goodbye to everyone still on the first floor of the airport before turning and walking towards the terminal.

"I already miss them." Lucy whined.

"No, you already miss him." Tony corrected. The past two weeks Lucy and Tyler had become as close as the other couples that had surrounded them. The final sleeping arrangements had put Reid in Dena's room, Pogue and Kate in the guest/study room, Caleb and Sarah in Tony's room, and Tyler on the coach. Though some morning Tyler would either be in Lucy's room or Lucy would be sleeping next to Tyler in the living room. They had just become another fast moving relationship, making every minute count since they knew this was only a vacation.

"We should get going." Dena said as she wiped a single tear away from the corner of her eye. The others nodded and followed her example.


	15. Together Again

**A/N**- Hello! Well here's the last chapter of this story. I think you'll guys like it. I have started writing a sequal, but I'm not sure when it will be posted. Enjoy!**  
**

**tyLer-Lover**- Ok, got what PM means. Now I just need to remember it, I probably will though. Go ahead and 'PM' me whenever you want.

**soccergurl382**- I do believe we can call them lovers once more. They have made up and are back into their relationship. Yes goodbyes do suck, but they are something everyone has to deal with.

**Larissa**- You'll just have to keep reading to find out what happens.

**MagykGurl**- I'm glad you like it! One more update to go.

**HopelessRomantic44**- Catching up on kisses for Reid and Dena and then starting the kisses for Tyler and Lucy.

* * *

"Why did we come back to this hell hole?" Reid grumbled as he got out of the Hummer with Tyler.

"Because we still have a few weeks of school left. Then we have summer and then college." Reid just kept grumbling as he jumped up the steps. Reid slid the key into the lock and opened the door to their dorm room. "Hey Reid, I need to head home for a bit to get some clothes. I might stop at Pogue's house too and get my stuff cleared out of there as well."

"Can you stop by the store too? We need some food."

"Ya sure, I'll be back later." Tyler closed the door as he left and Reid flopped down on his bed. He dug through his pocket and flipped open his cell phone. Without looking he pressed 1 and the call button. The phone rang three times before it was finally answered.

"Hey," Dena's voice answered.

"You get home ok?" Reid asked.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"Ya, but LA is more notorious for traffic accidents."

"We're all fine. How was your flight?"

"Long, uneventful. I slept most of the way. Did you know Baby Boy makes a good pillow?"

"I wouldn't. I could ask Lucy of I could find out when I come for a visit."

"You can ask Lucy. If you're going to use any human pillow it will be me."

"Don't worry Reid, I wouldn't think about using anyone other than you." Dena laughed into the phone, the sound bringing a smile to Reid's lips. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. Lucy wants to start a movie. I'll call you later, alright?"

"I'll hold you to it. Talk to you soon."

"Bye."

"Bye." Reid flipped the phone shut and rubbed his eyes.

With Tyler still gone Reid decided it was too quiet so he grabbed his keys and left for Nicky's. When Reid arrived he ordered a drink and some food before finding a seat. He watched some people play pool and muttered the occasional hello when someone would acknowledge him. He was quietly eating his hamburger when a pair of arms wrapped around his neck.

"Unless these arms belong to my girlfriend, I advice you to remove them."

"I may not be your girlfriend right now, but I would be if you just asked."

"Trina, move your arms."

"Come on Reid, you know you like it." Trina giggled into Reid's ear as she gently bit his ear lobe. Reid remained silent as he tried to cam, or at least hold back, his anger. "What's wrong? You're usually welcoming me into your arms, or you have been since what's her name left."

"What's wrong is that you do not heed my warnings and commands and her name is Dena. Get off of me now Trina."

"What happened when you left? Did you switch places with Tyler? Should I be with him tonight?" Reid jumped out of the chair and turned around to face Trina. He grabbed her hands and slammed her into a nearby wall. "Now I get some emotion. You never told me you liked it rough. I'm more that happy to comply." Trina's dark brown hair was partially in her face and partially falling helplessly down her back. Her green eyes looked at him with lust and Reid had never been so disgusted.

"Now listen slut, I don't want to see you around me or my friends again. None of our girlfriends would appreciate it and I personally wish I never have to see your face again. I also know I never want to touch you again. I have a girlfriend and she will always satisfy me." Reid pushed Trina into the wall once more before walking back to his table to finish the last few bites of his hamburger.

"Well maybe Tyler has changed his mind."

"Even though you're obviously deaf I'll let you in on a little known fact. Tyler has a girlfriend too." Reid left Trina in a stunned state as he went to give Nicky the money for his food. "Hey Nicky, keep an eye on Trina tonight. She's on the prowl again." Nicky nodded and glared at the waitress Reid was talking about.

Reid returned to his dorm full and tired. Before he could fall asleep his cell phone went off. Taking his time, Reid answered before the caller would be sent to his answering machine. "Hello?"

"Hey!" Dena greeted. She sounded happy, but there was an underlying tone that made Reid curious.

"What's up? Finish your movie?"

"Ya, we watched Night at the Museum. It was pretty finny. So there's a reason I called."

"Aw, you didn't just want to hear my voice?"

"Well, that too. Anyways, I think I left my necklace at your house. It's the one I wore to the Spring Formal."

"I'll check tomorrow after school."

"Reid, it was my mom's. I'd like to know if I've truly lost it or not."

"But I'm tired!" Reid groaned.

"Reid…" Dena whined. "If I know you have it then I'll be coming sooner."

"Ugh, fine. You better be coming out here within a month… no 2 weeks."

"Deal, call me when you find it."

"Of course." The couple hung up and Reid sat on his bed for a few minutes before getting up. He kept grumbling till he reached his car. Even as he drove with his music up he kept questioning how he had become so whipped so fast. He pulled around to the front of the house and got out of his car. He quickly ran up to his room where he started searching for the missing trinket. After moving a piece of paper he found it sitting innocently on his desk. As he grabbed it he opened his phone and dialed Dena's number. What he wasn't expecting was a cell phone to go off as his own run and waiting patiently for someone to answer. He scoured the room and found Dena's phone on the nightstand.

"I knew I was going to forget to put that on silent." Dena came up behind Reid as she slid her arms around him to pluck the phone from his hand. Reid whirled around so fast it nearly knocked Dena over.

"What are you doing here?"

"You found my necklace. I told you I would come if you found my necklace."

"But… wait. You just placed that necklace. You didn't wear one to Spring Formal. You were wearing a halter top."

"Wow, good memory." Dena laughed.

"Ok, actually… there's a picture behind you from the dance." Dena turned around and a framed copy of them from Spring Formal.

"Cheater, but I still love you."

"How did you get hear so fast? We just got back late this morning."

"Lucy and I booked a flight the night before you guys were supposed to leave. Tony and Anne hid our bags in their car so you wouldn't know." Dena barely got done with her explanation as Reid slammed his lips down on hers. "Hm… I like that welcoming."

"How long are you staying?"

"It depends."

"It depends on what?"

"It depends on if I can find a place to stay. I'll stay for a few days if I can't, otherwise I'll stay here till college."

""You'll stay here… or in the dorm room with me." Reid answered quickly.

"Well then, I guess I'm staying here, with you, until college." Dena smiled. Reid returned the smile before lowering his head to meet Dena's lips in another kiss.

Later that night Dena and Reid lay in his bed quietly resting. Reid's hand idly traced patterns on Dena's arm while Dena stared out at the balcony watching the night sky. Reid was going between watching her and following her eyes outside.

"You were right."

"I know… wait, about what?"

"You being a good human pillow."

"O ya, about that. I told you so." Dena shook her head as she stretched along Reid and cuddled into Reid so she could call asleep. Reid kissed the top of Dena's head as he too settled in to fall asleep.


End file.
